Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Odisha Reopens Debate Over 2008 VHP Seer Killing
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four people with him were killed in Odisha in 2008.
A court recently cleared a Maoist leader who had been accused of helping plan the killings.
The court said there was not enough evidence against him.
Police had said a letter showed that Maoists claimed responsibility, but the letter was not presented in court.
Eight other people were convicted in the case in 2013, although most are now on bail.
The killing led to serious communal violence in Kandhamal.
Odisha’s current BJP government says it will find out what really happened.
The opposition BJD says the government is making unsupported political accusations.
The government is also investigating why reports about the killing and riots cannot be found.
A special court acquitted Maoist leader D Kesaba Rao alias Azad for lack of evidence in the 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four disciples.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi pledged to uncover the truth and deliver justice after the acquittal.
Police had alleged that Maoists carried out the killings, but the court noted that an alleged Maoist letter was not presented as evidence.
The killings triggered communal violence in Kandhamal that killed at least 39 people and displaced more than 25,000.
The BJP government has accused the former BJD government of allowing inquiry reports on the killing and later riots to disappear, allegations the BJD denies.
- Who
- Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, four associates, acquitted Maoist leader D Kesaba Rao alias Azad, the Odisha government, and the former BJD government are central to the dispute.
- What
- The acquittal of Azad has revived demands for a fresh investigation into the 2008 killing and allegations that related judicial inquiry reports disappeared.
- When
- Saraswati was killed on August 23, 2008; Azad was acquitted three days before the chief minister’s Friday address; an FIR about the missing reports was filed on June 10, 2026.
- Where
- The killing occurred at Saraswati’s ashram in Jalespeta, Kandhamal district, Odisha; Azad was released from Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar.
- Why
- The court found insufficient evidence against Azad, while the BJP government says it wants to establish the truth and investigate the alleged disappearance of official reports.
BJP Government and VHP Position
BJD and Defense Position
Need for a renewed investigation
BJP Government and VHP Position
The BJP government and VHP-linked groups say the full truth about Saraswati’s killing must be uncovered and continue to seek a CBI probe.
BJD and Defense Position
The BJD says the current government is making baseless allegations about the murder case rather than presenting substantiated findings.
Responsibility for missing reports
BJP Government and VHP Position
The BJP government alleges that the previous BJD administration intentionally removed, concealed, destroyed, or otherwise unlawfully dealt with the inquiry reports to shield those responsible.
BJD and Defense Position
The BJD questions why the reports were being searched for two years after the BJP took office and asks whether they may have been misplaced by the current CMO.
Political interpretation of the case
BJP Government and VHP Position
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi describes the previous government’s handling of the matter as negligence, appeasement politics, and a deliberate conspiracy.
BJD and Defense Position
The BJD argues that BJP figures, including Manmohan Samal and Biswabhusan Harichandan, were part of the 2008 Patnaik ministry and challenges the BJP’s political accusations.
- Killing date
- August 23, 2008
- Victims
- Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four disciples or associates
- Recent acquittal
- D Kesaba Rao alias Azad was acquitted for lack of evidence after about 15 years in custody in this case.
- Earlier convictions
- An Odisha court convicted eight people, including Maoist leader Udaya, in October 2013 and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
- Communal violence
- The subsequent Kandhamal violence killed at least 39 people and displaced more than 25,000.
- Judicial inquiry
- A commission submitted its report in December 2015, but the report was not made public by the then BJD government.
- Missing-reports FIR
- The BJP government filed an FIR on June 10, 2026, alleging that reports on the Saraswati killing and a 2016 hospital fire were untraceable.