PTI
Bhubaneshwar, Oct 17: The Orissa police on Thursday claimed that the mastermind of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati's killing, which sparked a wave of communal violence in Kandhamal district, had been identified as a group which hired the Maoists to execute the crime.
"Maoists were given money to train certain youths of a particular community to eliminate Saraswati", Inspector General (IG) of Police, crime branch, Arun Ray said, claiming the mastermind of the killings had been identified.
The mastermind has fled Orissa the IG said, adding "we will trace them soon." The plan to eliminate Saraswati was made immediately after the December 2007, communal violence in Kandhamal, he said.
Elaborating on the probe by the crime branch, he said investigations also showed that a group had collected money from some villages in Kandhamal which was given to the Maoist group to train their youths for the purpose. At least 60 youths were given arms training by Maoists, the IG said dwelling on the inputs from three arrested persons.
Ray said members of a particular community were unhappy with Saraswati and held him responsible for the riots which took place during Christmas in 2007. They requested a Maoist group to assist them in killing Saraswati, he said.
The police investigation said six Telugu-speaking persons had fired at Saraswati and others and a trained group were guarding the ashram at Jalespeta in Kandhamal during the incident.
Refusing to divulge identity and religion of the mastermind behind the killing, the IG said Maoists only executed the crime.
While the motive behind Saraswati's killing was clear, the sleuths gathered evidence against the people who plotted the crime not realising that it would trigger such large-scale violence, he said.