Togadia claims attack on him attempted in Orissa

Vishwa Hindu Parisad leader Pravin Togadia alleged on Tuesday that an attempt was made to attack him on Monday night when he was returning from Kandhamal district after attending the last rites of the slain VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati.

“The road was blocked by felling three huge trees when my vehicle was passing through dense forest areas on Kalinga’s ghat road. The obstruction was obviously part of a plot to attack me,” Togadia, VHP’s International Secretary claimed at a press conference in Bhubaneswar.

“Though the accompanying security men removed two trees, the third one was too big for them to clear,” Togadia said adding, a heavy machine was requisitioned to remove it.

The VHP leader said he was taken to a safe place by the Special Operations Group and police. He started for Bhubaneswar after the road was cleared. “I appreciate the role of police and security personnel in dealing with the situation.” To a query, he alleged that the Church was behind the act.