Anti-Christian Violence in Orissa Pre-planned: Officials

November 22, 2011: Two top officials of India’s Orissa state deposed before a commission of enquiry last week and said that the anti-Christian violence in 2008 in Kandhamal was pre-planned.
Former revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) Satyabrata Sahu and ex-deputy inspector general (DIG) of south range RP Kotche maintained that the violence was ‘pre-planned’ and the miscreants had even cut down trees to disrupt movement of police.
The duo had made the claim on Wednesday while appearing before the Justice Basudev Panigrahi Commission of Enquiry which is probing the violence that killed dozens of Christians and displaced thousands of others.
while both the officers maintained that the administration had taken adequate steps to prevent the flare-up in the district, they said things suddenly went out of control.
Kandhamal witnessed unprecedented violence against tribal Christians after the murder of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23, 2008.
Christians had been maintaining that the violence was not a spontaneous reaction.