By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Orissa assembly Wednesday witnessed several disruptions before being adjourned as opposition parties led by the Congress demanded a white paper from the government on the communal violence in Kandhamal district in August and September.
Speaker Kishore Mohanty adjourned the assembly thrice before it was adjourned for the day due to the chaos in the house as opposition members marched to the speaker’s podium. They were demanding that the government place a white paper on the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Sarswati and the resultant communal riots that broke out in Kandhamal.
But the government wanted the matter to be discussed immediately.
“The government should place a white paper on the issue first,” deputy leader of Congress legislative party Narasimha Mishra told reporters later.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23.
While the police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.
Thousands of Christians were forced to flee from their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. At least 38 people were killed in the violence.