10 injured in fresh Orissa violence

Bhubaneswar: In fresh violence in Orissa, 10 people were injured, two critically, as groups of Hindus and Christians clashed over the celebration of Dasera in Malkangiri district, police said on Friday.

The clash took place late Thursday in Podia village of Malkangiri, some 750 km from here, police said.

"Ten people were injured in the clash, two of them critically," district superintendent of police Satish Kumar Gajbhiye said.

According to village sources, 12 Hindus and five Christians were injured in the clashes.

Orissa has been witnessing anti-Christian attacks since the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and four others at his ashram in Kandhamal district August 23. The violence has left at least 35 people dead and rendered thousands homeless in the district.

Although no fresh violence has been reported in Kandhamal in the past seven days, on Wednesday some houses were set on fire by miscreants in the neighbouring district of Boudh.

Police forces have been deployed in Podia village in Malkangiri to prevent further clashes.

Equal number

Podia village is a block headquarter with a population of 4,700. Hindus and Christians are in equal number. The village has a few Muslim families too.

Meanwhile, many villages in Kandhamal district wore a deserted look as thousands of Christians who are living in relief camps are refusing to return home.

"At least 13,000 people, mostly Christians, are in government relief camps in Kandhamal district," a senior police official told IANS.

More than 5,000 Christians are also staying in private relief camps set up by different Christian organisations in and outside the district, including in state capital Bhubaneswar and in Cuttack, he added.

Christians complain they have been threatened by some Hindu groups that they can return only after they become Hindus.

Thousands of Hindus have also fled to the forests to escape arrest by police for rioting.

The total number of people hiding in the forest could be over 10,000 and most of them are Hindus, the police official said.

Police have arrested more than 600 people, mostly Hindus, over the last week. The arrests are still on. Police are raiding village after village and arresting dozens of people every day, he said.