By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : A judicial commission, which is probing the communal violence in Orissa’s Kandhamal district that claimed at least 38 lives and rendered thousands homeless in the past months, has sought affidavits on the incidents by Nov 15.
The one-man judicial commission led by Justice S.C. Mohapatra, a retired judge of the Orissa High Court, in an advertisement published Sunday in local newspapers said the commission would investigate different aspects of the incident.
According to the advertisement published in the front page of ‘Sambad’, a leading Oriya daily, the commission would analyse the sequence of events and circumstances leading to the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati 23 Aug and the incidents of violence in its aftermath.
The commission has also said that it will probe the role, conduct and responsibility of the individuals, organisations, groups and agencies in precipitating and committing the crimes.
It also said it will investigate whether the measures taken, the quantum of force used in handling the situation was adequate.
The commission, in its advertisement, invited individual statements and affidavits relating to the matter on or before Nov 15.
The commission also said that people may appear before the commission Nov 28 in the commission’s office here.
Kandhamal district, some 200 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, witnessed communal violence after the killing of Saraswati and his aides at the Jalespata Ashram Aug 23.
Over 20,000 people, mainly Christians, took shelter in private and government relief camps after their houses were torched by rampaging Hindu mobs. There has been, however, no major violence in the region since Sep 30.