The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on
Thursday said that the killers of Australian missionary Graham
Staines and his two sons were Congress supporters.
Armed with an audio-recorded confession of the killers, party
parliamentarian from Balasore Kharabela Swam told a Press
conference here that he had personally visited the Anandpur jail
were five suspected killers of Staines were lodged.
Mr Tapan Sikdar, lone parliamentarian from the State, was also
present on the occasion along with other leaders of the party.
Party leaders were busy calling up journalists from early morning
on Thursday, extending an invitation for a "most important Press
conference" to be addressed by BJP vice-president Govindacharya.
However, Mr Govindacharya did not turn up.
Mr Swam said that Dara Singh, the main accused behind the ghastly
killing, was not a Bajrang Dal activist but a Congress man.
The BJP leaders presented a video-show at the Press conference
reportedly carrying the admission of the "killers", and some
tribals speaking in local language about the conversion in
Manoharpur. Mr Swam said that he had spoken to the family members
of the suspects who too, confessed that they were Congress
members.
The BJP leader flashed a copy of the FIR lodged after the death
of the Staines. He said: "Nowhere in the FIR it is mentioned that
Dara Singh was identified. However, it does mention that
eyewitnesses heard killers shouting Bajrang Dal slogans". It is
strange, he added.
Mr Swam, who is also the vice-president of Orissa BJP, said that
the tribals, who were on record on his videotape, had dubbed
Staines as "social criminal".