Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Murder: BJP welcomes Orissa HC’s order, demands CBI probe

A day after the Orissa High Court issued a notice to the Odisha government to show cause why a CBI probe should not be ordered into the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday welcomed the High Court’s order.

Senior BJP leader, Jayanarayan Mishra on Wednesday said that a petition was filed earlier in the Orissa High Court as to why a CBI probe will not be conducted into the murder of Saraswati.

“There is a need for a CBI probe and we welcome whatever order the High Court has given. The Odisha government should hand over the investigation to the CBI and inform people of the state why Saraswati was killed and why the security cover was withdrawn,” said Mishra at a presser in Bhubaneswar.

Also Read: HC issues notice to Odisha govt over CBI probe demand in Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati murder

Mishra further said that they suspect a conspiracy as CRPF and police personnel were withdrawn mysteriously prior to the brutal killing of Saraswati.

Advocate Debashish Hota, who filed the petition before the court, said on Tuesday, “Though the government tried to show that the murder was perpetrated by the Maoists, they tried to hide the real cause behind the murder.”

BJD MLA Padmanabh Behera said, “As the High Court has asked for a report, the Odisha government will certainly put forth how far the investigation progressed on the right track. Subsequently, the High Court will decide. The allegation that the Commission’s report has been suppressed is baseless.”