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Orissa probe commission raps cops
for jailbreak, undertrials' killing

The Justice K C Jagdev Ray commission of inquiry, probing the R Udaygiri jailbreak and murder of two Christian undertrials by a mob of tribals, has indicted the district police.

In its report, submitted to the state government, the 208-page report has indicted the police for its failure, leading to the jailbreak and killing of the undertrials, in Gajpati district in southern Orissa on December 8,1998.

The state government had asked the commission to find out agencies responsible for the incident, resulting in the death of the undertrials by breaking open the sub-jail.

The commission examined 79 witnesses.

The commission is also looking into the Ranalai incident in March 1999, in which over 150 houses of Christians were torched by the tribals. The houses were torched following a dispute over the 'disfiguring' of a cross atop a nearby hill.

The incident involving the Christian undertrials took place before Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons Philip and Timothy were burnt to death by a mob led by Dara Singh in Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district. The Ranalai incident took place after the Staines murder.

It is not known whether the report has raised the issue of involvement of Hinduvta forces in instigating the tribals against Christians.

Local dailies had alleged that the mob which broke into the jail was led by Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders.

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