SIT begins Kandhamal inquiry, oppn sceptical

Bhubaneswar/Berhampur: The state government-constituted special investigation team (SIT) on Tuesday began its probe into the death of five innocent villagers in an alleged crossfire between police and Maoists in Kandhamal. Amid growing criticism of the BJD government, three ministers met the families of the dead during the day.
This apart, government sources said consultations are on to nominate a judge to head the judicial inquiry commission announced by the government within hours after the Kandhamal killings.The commission will be formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, to examine how the incident happened and to recommend corrective steps to prevent such incidents in future.
State DGP K B Singh said the SIT headed by additional DG (Human Rights Protection Cell) Mahendra Pratap, has taken over the investigation. He added, "Everything will be clear once we finish the inquiry." BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy added, "The two commissions will bring out the truth."
On the other hand, opposition parties were sceptical about the efficiency of government-sponsored inquiries. Leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra said, "The Naveen Patnaik government has constituted 24 judicial commissions since it came to power 16 years ago. Details of only 12 inquiries have been disclosed so far. Reports on major incidents are yet to be made public." Inquiry reports on the December 2007 Kandhamal riots and the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati have not been published.
Mishra said he would visit Gumudumaha village, where Friday's killings took place, on July 15. He alleged, "The government will try to hush up the matter with the help of the SIT, which works under the State Human Rights Protection Cell."