Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of 16th death anniversary of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan today said that the State Government will soon take a decision on the matter of making public the Judicial Commission Report on the killing Swami Laxmananda.
Speaking to media persons here, Shri Harichandan has made this statement and also informed that the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has already discussed the matter and very soon a decision will be taken on the release of the Commission Report and other things related to it.
To commemorate Saraswati’s death anniversary, the RSS organised a marathon in Bhubaneswar, which saw participation from hundreds of people, including students.
Saraswati and four associates were gunned down at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008, during Janmashtami celebrations, leading to widespread violence that resulted in 40 deaths.
The Odisha Government had set up a commission of inquiry, initially led by Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra and later by Justice A S Naidu, to investigate the Saraswati’s death. Although the Commission submitted its report in 2015, the report is yet to be placed before the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
On August 23, Kandhamal MP Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi demanded a CBI probe into the case, citing concerns that the masterminds behind the killings remain at large.
Commenting on the repair work of Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple, the Law Minister said the ASI would conduct a survey to ascertain the presence of any tunnel or chambers inside the treasury of the temple.
“The inventory of the valuables will begin inside the Ratna Bhandar once the repair work is completed. It will be tallied with the list prepared in 1978,” he added.
On August 24, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Dr Arabinda Padhee wrote to the ASI to take over the Ratna Bhandar and initiate scanning and geo-physical investigation using latest technology, conservation, repair and restoration of inner and outer chambers of the treasury of the 12th-century shrine.