The Hindu : National : Parties seek deployment of Army in Kandhamal

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Sunday, Dec 30, 2007
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Parties seek deployment of Army in Kandhamal

Special Correspondent

Senior Opposition leaders prevented from entering the strife-torn district in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: Senior leaders of prominent political parties on Saturday demanded deployment of the Army and additional Central forces in the communal violence-hit Kandhamal district of Orissa.

The leaders, who were prevented by senior administration officials from entering the district, blamed the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government for its “failure” to restore peace in the district.

“The administration prevented us from going inside Kandhamal to cover up the failure of the government in containing the violence in the district where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists have unleashed a reign of terror,” a senior leader of the State unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, Bijay Mohapatra, said.

“The State government is soft-pedalling the whole issue as the BJP is a partner in the ruling alliance,” Mr. Mohapatra told The Hindu over phone.

When the government had failed to control the situation and curfew continued in four towns since Christmas day, the Army should have been called in, said Janardan Pati, secretary of the Orissa State Committee of the CPI(M).

The team of Opposition leaders had to return to the State capital from Charichhaka, one of the main entry points to the tribal-dominated district.

The other leaders in the team included Pradesh Congress president Jayadev Jena, CPI State unit president Dibakar Nayak, Samajwadi Party State unit president Baishnab Parida, Rashtriya Janata Dal State president Harish Mohapatra and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Arun Jena.

A CPI(M) delegation from Ganjam district, led by party leader Ali Kishore Patnaik, was also prevented from entering the district.

“We saw hundreds of people coming out of the district to take shelter in relief camps in the neighbouring Ganjam and Gajapati districts,” Mr. Patnaik said.

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