Odisha to develop Laxmanananda Saraswati’s birthplace as heritage village: Majhi

The announcement came at an event marking the birth centenary of the VHP leader, who was known for his campaigns against religious conversions in Odisha’s tribal belt

Published on: Aug 21, 2026, 20:40:48 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Gurujang, the birthplace of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who was killed in 2008, will be developed as a heritage village, and the gram panchayat as a model panchayat, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday, signalling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ongoing focus on Hindutva.

Majhi said his life’s work for the protection of Sanatan culture and the spread of the Antayoday ideology has strengthened the spirit of our country. (X/MohanMOdisha)

The announcement came at an event marking the birth centenary of the VHP leader, who was known for his campaigns against religious conversions in Odisha’s tribal belt.

Majhi accused the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government of negligence and “appeasement politics” in handling the seer’s murder. He also repeated the allegation that reports and files of the Justice Mahapatra and Justice Naidu commissions, set up to investigate the killing, had disappeared from the state secretariat as part of a “deliberate conspiracy” to shield those responsible.

Laxmanananda Saraswati, 84, and four others were killed at the Jalespata Kanyashram in Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008, during Janmashtami celebrations. The killings triggered one of Odisha’s worst episodes of communal violence, in which at least 38 people were killed and 54,000 displaced.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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