By IANS,
Ahmedabad : A leading rights activist group here has condemned the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmananand Sarswati and four others in Orissa Saturday.
“We sympathize with the bereaved members of the families who have lost their loved ones. We call upon the Orissa and central governments to bring to book immediately those responsible for this dastardly act,” Father Cedric Prakash of the NGO Prashant said in a statement Monday.
“No violence can be justified. However, for last several months, the Orissa government has allowed some fascist and fundamentalist forces to terrorize the poor, the marginalised and the minorities of the state. These forces have carried on their virulent propaganda and their violent acts with apparent immunity,” he said.
The killings in an Ashram in Kandhamal district have led to widespread protests and violence in Orissa with the VHP giving a call for a shutdown Monday.