Addressing a function marking the birth centenary of slain Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati at his native place Gurujanga in Angul district Friday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said his government would uncover the truth behind the seer’s killing and ensure that justice is delivered in the case.
“Every drop of Swami ji’s blood will receive justice,” Majhi told the gathering.
The CM’s assurances came three days after a special court in Odisha acquitted Maoist leader D Kesaba Rao alias Azad – who was accused by the police of being a conspirator and the main accused in the killing of Saraswati and four of his disciples in August 2008 – due to lack of evidence. Azad has now been released from Bhubaneswar’s Jharpada jail after 15 years, as the courts had earlier acquitted him in other cases too.
While legal experts indicate a weak investigation and gathering of evidence by the police behind Azad’s acquittal, the VHP and other right-wing outfits continue their demand for a CBI probe into the seer’s killing.
Though the police claimed that the accused, after killing the VHP leader and his disciples, left behind a letter purportedly signed by one Azad stating that the Maoists of Bansadhar division had executed the killings, the court said no such letter was presented before it.
In October 2013, a court in Odisha’s Phulbani had convicted eight persons including a Maoist leader Udaya in the murder of the VHP seer and his aides, awarding them life term. Most of them are currently on bail after spending around 10 years in prison.
Kandhamal killings, riots
On August 23, 2008, about 20-25 masked persons gunned down the 84-year-old Saraswati and his four associates at his ashram at Jalespeta in Kandhamal district. The ashram inmates were celebrating the Janmashtami festival. The VHP leader, who had led a campaign against cow slaughter and conversion of tribals into Christianity, had received threats and even faced an attack before his murder.
Saraswati, who had come to the tribal-dominated Kandhamal in the late 1960s, had set up ashrams and kanyashrams (residential girls’ schools) in a remote area, Jalespeta, with an objective to educate tribal girls.
His killing triggered large-scale communal violence in Kandhamal district that claimed at least 39 lives while causing the displacement of over 25,000 people from their homes. Many churches, prayer halls and houses were torched or damaged during the violence.
The widespread riots also had significant political ramifications, with the ties between the then ruling partners BJD, led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, and BJP getting strained, even though they had been in an alliance since 2000. Subsequently, just a month before the 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Patnaik snapped the BJD’s ties with the BJP.
In September 2008, the Patnaik government constituted a judicial inquiry commission, led by former Orissa High Court judge Justice S C Mohapatra, to probe into Saraswati’s killing and the subsequent riots. After Mohapatra’s demise, this inquiry was handed over to another retired judge Justice A S Naidu. Even though the Naidu commission submitted its report in December 2015, it was not made public by the Patnaik government that remained in power till June 2024.
‘Disappearance’ of reports
The BJP that demanded a CBI probe into Saraswati’s killing while in Opposition stormed to power in Odisha in 2024 after defeating the BJD in the Assembly polls.
After two years at the helm, the BJP government on June 10, 2026 filed an FIR alleging that the two judicial commission reports – including one on the 2008 Saraswati killing and riots and another one on the 2016 fire incident at SUM medical college and hospital – were not available in the CMO (CM’s Office) and remained untraceable despite searches.
The Majhi government alleged that while several other reports and files forwarded by the Home Department to the CMO were returned on June 4, 2024, when the Assembly election indicating a BJP win became clear, these two reports remained missing.
The FIR claimed that the “disappearance” of the reports created a reasonable suspicion that they may have been “intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with”.
The BJP accused the previous BJD government of “intentionally” causing the reports’ disappearance while the police also issued summons to at least four retired bureaucrats including V K Pandian, a close Patnaik aide who had served in the CMO during the BJD regime.
Hindutva push
At the Saraswati event Friday, CM Majhi accused the Patnaik government of “deliberate conspiracy” to shield the perpetrators behind disappearance of files pertaining to the VHP leader’s killing. Majhi also raked up the “failure, negligence and appeasement politics” of the BJD dispensation in this regard.
“I want to give a firm assurance to the 4.5 crore people of Odisha that truth behind the incident would certainly be brought to light,” he added.
The function was also attended by former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a slew of BJP and VHP leaders, including several MPs and MLAs.
As part of its Hindutva push, the BJP government has named a medical college at Phulbani after Saraswati. A grant of Rs 13 crore has been sanctioned from the CM’s special assistance (CMSA) for redevelopment of ashram, kanyashram and other development works in Kandhamal. The government has also announced its proposal to transform the slain VHP leader’s village as a “heritage village”.
The BJD hit back at Majhi, accusing him of making “baseless allegations” over the Saraswati murder case. BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said, “The nation knows which party does appeasement politics. State BJP chief Manmohan Samal and ex-governor Biswabhusan Harichandan were a part of the then Patnaik ministry (in 2008). Is the CM pointing towards them as well.”
The BJD also took a swipe at the Majhi government for “searching an important Commission report after two years of assuming office”. “Has it been deliberately misplaced by the CMO to protect someone from their own organisation,” Mohanty asked.
Acquitted Maoist leader
Hailing from Mandasa mandal of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, Azad was involved in Maoist activities since 1990 and worked in Uddanam area of Srikakulam district in different roles.
He was also an accused in the 2008 Nayagarh police armoury attack – in which at least 14 people, including 13 police personnel, were killed – and in 2006 R Udayagiri jail attack matter. However, he has been acquitted in all these cases.
Azad had surrendered before the Andhra Pradesh police in May 2011. After being handed over to the Odisha police in June 2011, he had been lodged at Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar for 15 years until his acquittal in the Saraswati murder case.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh governments to set up special courts for speedy disposal of cases against Azad.
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi & former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan attend a programme to celebrate birth centenary of the slain VHP leader at his village in Odisha’s Angul district. 
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