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VHP, Bajrang Dal condemn Stains killing, demand CBI inquiry

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have denied the Dal's involvement in the killing of Graham Stains and his two sons in Orissa, and have demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Both organisations describe it as a conspiracy to defame and oust the BJP-led government at the Centre and pave the way for a Congress comeback. While VHP General Secretary Acharya Giriraj Kishore said the conspiracy was to destabilise the government, Bajrang Dal national co-convener Prakash Sharma said it was a ''conspiracy to defame the BJP by making the Bajrang Dal and VHP the scapegoats.''

Kishore described the incident against the ''Hindu ethos'' and demanded the arrest of the culprits including prime suspect Dara Singh. Hinting that the incident was a result of a political rivalry between Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik and his deputy, Basant Kumar Biswal, the VHP leader alleged that both leaders have one MLA each as supporters in the area, and the incident was a result of the rivalry between them.

He said the Bajrang Dal's name came up in the incident only after Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia visited the place. ''If somebody raises slogans in favour of the Bajrang Dal after committing a crime, that does not mean the crime is committed by them,'' said Kishore.

He went on to say that Dara Singh was a history-sheeter and many cases were pending against him. "Why did not the police arrest him during the past six months?" he asked and alleged that Singh was being protected by one of the warring MLAs.

The VHP leader claimed Stains had taken out a pistol when he saw the mob. Apparently angered over the gesture, the mob set the vehicle ablaze. Kishore said he had been informed about this by a VHP leader who had gone to the spot to investigate the incident. He, however, could not elaborate about the source of his information, particularly when no pistol had been recovered from the spot.

The Bajrang Dal leader said, "Such an incident has not happened ever since the formation of the Bajrang Dal in 1984, not even during the Ayodhya movement. Why should it happen now?''

He also denied that Dara Singh was a member of the Dal and said the incident was a ''joint conspiracy by the church and Congress.''

He did not rule out similar incidents at other places to defame the Bajrang Dal and VHP, and through them, the BJP.

The Barang Dal has a strength of about 250,000 all over the country and about 15,000 in Orissa.

Kishore said the incident was also caused by the simmering tension between the missionaries and local tribals which had been exploited by politicians. The missionaries had been organising camps in jungles on the two main festivals of the tribals including Makar Sankranti in January and Raja Sankranti in June. ''These camps were organised just for 'eating and merrymaking' which was objected to by the tribals. Even the local administration had warned the government about the simmering tension over these camps but the government did not act," he said.

On being asked that the missionary had been working for leprosy patients in the area, the VHP leader said there were no leprosy patients in the area. ''They are only about 100 km away.''

UNI

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