Indian Express
December 19, 2008
Tension in Kandhamal as Christian leader kidnapped
by Debabrata Mohanty
Bhubaneswar: Kandhamal continued to remain on the edge after a 45-year-old Dalit Christian, Digal, who is also the Kandhamal district Congress Sevadal president, was allegedly kidnapped by some miscreants shouting Jai Shri Ram. Kandhamal Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar said Digal, a resident of Kanjamendi village in K Nuagaon Block of Kandhamal was allegedly abducted in G Udaygiri block on Tuesday evening.
“He was returning home along with his son Muna, from the house of Congress MLA Ajayanti Pradhan on a bike when some miscreants accosted him on the road between Telengia and Sitapanga. His son has alleged that he was kidnapped and killed. But we are yet to find his body or the vehicle and have registered a case of kidnapping only. We are searching the area thoroughly for Digal,” he said.
Raising the matter in the Assembly, Congress president Jaydev Jena alleged that Digal and his son were attacked by a group shouting Jai Shri Ram. Both Jena and his party colleague Satyabhushan Sahu said the incident took place two days ago and the Government must provide information about Digal. Congress’s Nalinikanta Mohanty expressed fear that Digal might have been killed as his hat was recovered from the kidnapping site.
The alleged kidnapping may worsen the situation in Kandhamal as it comes a week before the December 25 Orissa bandh called by Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Shraddhanjali Samiti to protest police inaction in arresting Saraswati’s killers.
Though the BJP is yet to take an official stand on whether to support the bandh or not, the party is readying for a face-off with the BJD over the bandh. BJP legislator Mahesh Sahu created a flutter in the Assembly when he remarked that those who felt apprehensive could go to Italy, Australia or Kerala to celebrate Christmas. Worried over the bandh call, the Government has deployed 45 companies of the CRPF and sealed the district borders.
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