Fresh violence in Orissa claims one more life

Bhubneshwar: About 50 Christians armed with knives, sticks and stones hacked a Hindu man to death in the eastern Indian state of Orissa in the latest outburst of sectarian violence that has left 27 people dead, police said on Friday.

Police officer Kishore Pradhan said the attack in the town of Raikia was one of two that took place Thursday in Kandhamal district.

In the other, about 500 Hindus attacked and burned about 50 Christian homes and two prayer halls in Beherasahi village, Pradhan said. The residents fled their homes and no injuries were reported, he said.

Hindu-Christian clashes in Kandhamal started August 24 following the killing of a Hindu religious leader. At the time, police blamed Maoist rebels active in the area, but right-wing Hindu groups blamed local Christians and set fire to a Christian orphanage. The violence then spread to include mob attacks on churches, shops and homes.

On Thursday, the federal government in New Delhi asked the Orissa state government to take quick steps to restore peace.

The Orissa government was told that the continuing violence is "a matter of serious concern and cannot be allowed to continue," the federal Home Ministry said.

The state's top elected official, Navin Patnaik, told reporters that there were still "stray incidents of violence in Kandhamal." He said his government has asked New Delhi for thousands more paramilitary troops to restore order.

Already, thousands of local police and paramilitary troops have been deployed in the affected district and the area is under an overnight curfew and large public gatherings have been banned.

Relations are usually peaceful between Christians, who account for 2.5 per cent of India's 1.1 billion people, and Hindus, who make up 80 per cent. However, Orissa has a history of Hindu-Christian clashes, usually sparked by Hindu suspicions over missionary work.

Hard-line Hindu groups claim that Christian missionary groups are forcing or bribing people to convert. Christian churches deny anyone has been pressured or paid to change their religious beliefs.

Indian law accepts missionaries but bars forced conversions and missionary activity generally provokes controversy.