Cuttack, May 4: The Orissa State CID-Crime Branch today said investigation into the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati “is substantially complete and supplementary chargesheet is going to be submitted soon”.
In an affidavit submitted in the high court today, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Santosh Kumar Patnaik, the investigating officer (IO) in the case, said: “The complicity of hardcore Maoist cadres — Udaya Badjena and Somnath Badjena — has been reasonably inferred from the materials during the course of further investigation.”
The two accused are in custody and facing trial in another case in the court of the additional sessions judge (ASJ), Gunupur. “Steps are being taken to remand them in this case and supplementary chargesheet is going to be submitted as soon as possible, preferably within a day or two,” the IO said.
On April 20, Orissa High Court directed the crime branch to submit a status report on progress made in the probe into the murder of Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh area of Kandhamal district at 11pm on August 23, 2008. The high court issued the order on a petition seeking a stay order on the conclusion of the murder case trial as the crime branch had submitted a chargesheet, but kept the case open for further probe and not submitted a final report in the last two years.
Brahmachari Madhaba Chaitanya (25), on whose FIR investigation was taken up by the local police and thereafter by the crime branch, had filed the petition. “Taking note of the status report, the single judge bench of Justice Sanju Panda fixed May 17 for the next hearing,” petitioner counsel Sarbeswar Behera told The Telegraph.
“The court also allowed an intervention petition and directed the crime branch to file a reply,” Behera said.
Durga Prasad Kar, president of the Viswa Hindu Parishad (Orissa), had filed the intervention petition raising doubts about the Maoist involvement in the killing of Saraswati. Kar, a retired chief commissioner of the income tax, had in his petition cited eight attempts on the life of Saraswati between 1969 and December 2007. He said: “From the aforesaid attacks there should not be an iota of doubt that Swami Laxmananda Saraswati had been a target for converted Christians and the said target was achieved on August 23, 2008 with his killing.”
“All previous attempts were from converted Christians and not by Maoists,” the intervention petition said.
The crime branch took over the probe on August 28, 2008. During the investigation, seven accused were apprehended. Later, chargesheet was submitted against them. They are facing trial before the adhoc sessions judge (fast track court–II), Kandhamal.
The IO said: “The statements of witnesses Mahasingh Kanhar and Birendra Kanhar, which disclose about the conspiracy to kill Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and seizure of the letter with the declaration that Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by Maoist, establishes reasonable evidence of conspiracy.”
“Further evidence is under collection in course of investigation which is open under Section 173(8) CrPC,” the affidavit stated, adding, “Birendra Kanhar has been examined by the trial court on April 5, 2011, and he has corroborated his statement”.
“The letter left by accused persons at the spot was in Oriya and written that Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was killed by the PLGs (Janamukti Chapamar Sena). The letter was signed by one Azad. Investigation is continuing on the involvement of Azad, who is a hardcore Maoist and wanted in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh,” the affidavit stated, adding, “there is no reason to ignore contents of the letter found from the spot.”
