"We killed Swami Laxmananda" says top Maoist leader

With the flare–up in violence on Christian community in Orissa, a top Maoist leader for the second time claimed responsibility for the murder of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati.

It was the murder of Saraswati and four other aides in Jalespeta ashram on August 23 that led to the thrashing of Christians, their homes burnt, tribals forced to flee to forests, churches vandalised and women assaulted by Hindu fanatic groups.

Sabyasachi Panda, Orissa's top ranking Maoist leader appeared in an interview telecasted by a TV channel on Sunday, defending his action and threatening more such murders.

"Laxmanananda was not fighting for Hindus. He was heading the VHP and implementing an agenda targeted against the minorities," he said. "No one speaks for minorities. They are exploited. The riot, after the murder of Laxmanananda, was a conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar. Even without his killing, they would've caused riots to impose their agenda on the people," he added.

"The riots have nothing to do with the conflict between the Panas and Kandh tribals," he reiterated.

Speaking from an undisclosed forest area, the Maoist leader revealed that warnings had been earlier sent to Saraswati to desist from "spreading social unrest" in the tribal dominated district. "As Saraswati did not pay heed to our warning, he was killed," Panda told the reporters, adding that they have also issued similar warnings to 14 other persons, mostly belonging to the sangh parivar in Kandhamal.

Alleging that Saraswati created a riot in December 2007 against Christians and even targeted people indulging in cow slaughter, Panda, who is Orissa's most wanted Maoist cadre added, "We do not believe in any religion or are attached to any religious groups. We are not in favour of any religion,' he said, claiming Laxamananda was working to revive Brahminism, which was almost disappearing."

The Maoists or the Communist Party of India is an underground Maoist political party in the country conducting 'people's war', a strategical line developed by China’s Mao Zedong.

Currently it has effective control over some regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh as well as presence in Bihar and the tribal–dominated areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa.

Ignoring a claim of responsibility from the Naxalites for the assassination, the VHP has adamantly accused Christians. Their members indulged in brutal attacks that killed 77, destroyed over 400 churches and fleeing of at least 50,000 Christians to forests.

VHP and its organisations from long have been accusing Christian missionaries of "forced conversions", a claim that has been chided by Christian leaders, who are proud of the various developments by missoners in the tribal belts, remarkably those in Education, Healthcare, and amelioration of social life, which has been apparently ignored by the government and its agencies.

The attacks have been condemned by the Vatican and described as "a national shame" by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Christians account for 2.3 percent of India's billion–plus Hindu majority population.