Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: Eight persons, including a Maoist leader, were today awarded life terms by a court at Phulbani in Kandhamal district, about 200km from here, for the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his followers in 2008.

Additional district judge Rajendra Kumar Tosh, who had earlier convicted the eight persons, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them while pronouncing the quantum of punishment amidst tight security on the court premises.

In the event of being unable to pay the penalty, the convicts will have to undergo an additional jail term of 18 months.

The eight persons are Gadanath Chalanseth, Bijaya Kumar Shyamseth, Buddha Nayak, Sanatan Badamajhi, Duryadhan Sunamajhi, Bhaskar Sunamajhi, Munda Badamajhi and Maoist leader Pulari Rama Rao alias Uday.

While Uday was convicted by the court on October 1, the other seven were held guilty the day before. However, the court had acquitted Somnath Dandsena for want of evidence. The verdict came after the court examined 32 witnesses and various other evidences.

Besides murder and criminal conspiracy, they were convicted for offences that include rioting with deadly weapons and unlawful assembly. They were also held guilty under several provisions of the Arms Act.

The crime branch of state police, which investigated the case, had filed a chargesheet against 14 persons, of whom the court has pronounced its judgment only against nine persons till date. Of the remaining five, Maoist leader Dunna Keshav Rao alias Azad is lodged in Nayagarh jail at present. The other four, including Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, are still at large.

The gunning down of Saraswati and his disciples on August 23, 2008, had triggered a large-scale communal violence leaving 38 dead and thousands homeless. Many houses and places of worship were also damaged in Kandhamal during the riots. The four others killed in the bloodbath at Jalaspeta ashram were Mata Bhaktimayee, Krutananda Baba, Kishore Baba and Puranjana Guntha.

Considering the sensitive nature of the case, there was tight security across the district to ward off any untoward incidents in the wake of the verdict.

Sources said 13 platoons of police force were deployed in the district, with six on duty in Phulbani town alone. Vehicles were checked at sensitive points, while the police also kept a close watch on places of worship.