Click to play videoKandhamal: At least one person has been killed and four injured as a mob attacked and burned down Christian villages in Orissa's Kandhamal district.
"Stringent action will be taken against those involved in such crimes and I again appeal to all to maintain peace," said Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.
There have been repeated appeals from the administration for peace and promises of action too. But violence continues in Kandhamal as houses are burned down, churches vandalised and bombs hurled near relief camps.
Even though there are 4,000 paramilitary personnel deployed in the district, normalcy has not returned completely.
"There are two thousand five hundred villages in the district. Forces cannot be deployed in every village,” said the DGP of Orissa, Gopal Nanada.
It began as communal backlash after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, who his followers believed was the handiwork of the Christian residents of the place.
But now it has taken ethnic overtones and is a direct conflict between the 'Kandha' tribal and the Dalit Christian 'Panas'.
"The converted Pana Christians were doing atrocities on us since long. Sarpanch post meant for tribals was taken away by them illegally, our land was taken away in a forged manner. The government just watched and did nothing,” said Lambodar Kanhar, a Kandha tribal leader.
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