Sradhanjali sabha that conducted by Sradhanjali Samiti. (File Photo)
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Bhubaneswar (Orissa): Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Church leaders have joined hand to oppose a possible State wide shut down given by the RSS on December 25, if the State Police failed to nab the killers of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his disciples.
Sangh Pariwar backed Swami Laxmananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti has called for bandh in case failure of the investigating officials in nabbing the killers and conspirators by December 15.
"There should be no bandh and the Government was aware of the situation. Peace was essential for development," the Orissa Chief Minister told reporters here.
Patnaik, however, did not make any appeal to the Sangh Parivar to refrain from the proposed 'bandh' on Christmas day.
The Chief Minister's remarks came minutes after the Union Ministerial team led by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar asked the State Government to ensure that the 'bandh' was not observed by any organisation on major festivals like Christmas.
Justifying bandh call as logical and constitutional, Sradhanjali Samiti accused that the senior Church leaders and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are giving safe shelters to the killers while Orissa Chief Minster is also acting under pressure.
"We have stick to our earlier announcement and State wide bandh would be called if killers and conspirators not nabbed by December 15," Sradhanjali Samiti State coordinator Dr Laxmikant Dash said.
Meanwhile, Church leaders have also opposed the bandh call. Christian leaders told the Union Ministerial team to ask the state government to stop forced religious conversion in the riot-hit Kandhamal district.
The leaders led by Cuttack-Bhubaneswar diocese Archbishop Rapheal Cheenath in a memorandum to the three-member central team said that Orissa government should declare 'forced conversion' allegedly perpetuated on Christians as 'illegal' and declare that people and organisations undertaking such acts would be severely punished.
'The silence on part of the Government of Orissa in this regard is only emboldening the divisive communal forces to continue forced conversion on innocent Christians,' the Archbishop alleged.
On the proposed bandh on the Christmas day, the community leaders apprehended that the community might be subjected to attacks and therefore, appropriate steps need to be taken in order to ensure that the Christians celebrate the festival without any fear. 'Adequate security should be provided in their places of worship and Christian institutions,' they said.
