Bhubaneswar, Orissa (AsiaNews) - Manoj Kumar Pradhan, a member of the radical Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), responsible for the killing of a Christian leader in the 2008 Orissa, will return to prison. The Supreme Court of India has in fact cancelled the release on bail decided by a court in Orissa. (07/09/2010 Orissa: Hindu politician convicted for involvement in anti-Christian pogrom, released on bail).
Pradhan was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment. The Orissa High Court had released him on bail because he had been elected to the State Parliament. The ruling was challenged by Kanaka Rekha Nayak, the wife of Parikh Nayak, the Christian leader killed August 27, 2008.
Nayaka’s wife's lawyer, Rajkishor Prodhan, said: "Finally justice has been done justice, and this is a strong message to the Hindu radicals, that the law takes its course and no one can escape the eyes of the law."
12 charges were laid against Manoj Pradhan over his involvement in the pogroms of 2008. The police describe him as the "field commander" of the violence that killed at least 100 tribal Christians. Pradhan, who went into hiding after the episode, was convicted of another murder in 2009, and there are ongoing trials against him for three other killings.
