Rioters attack Churches in Orissa
BHUBANESWAR: The Christmas party was dampened in Orissa on Tuesday with rioters attacking Churches, prayer halls, police posts, houses and vehicles in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district. One person was killed in the violence during the VHP-sponsored four-hour Orissa bandh, police said.
District authorities imposed curfew as violence went out of control. Trouble erupted on Monday when two groups of people fought over a Christmas welcome arch at a market in Brahmanigaon. The situation worsened when some trouble-makers attacked Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, a local religious leader, as he was going to Brahmanigaon on hearing about the violence.
Mobs torched nearly 10 churches and prayer halls and ransacked police outposts. Even the vehicle of a state cabinet minister was not spared.
Saffron groups observed the bandh to protest against the attack on Saraswati.
Curfew was clamped in Brahmanigaon, Baliguda, Daringibadi and other sensitive areas of the tribal-dominated district. Official sources said senior IPS officers and police personnel from neighbouring districts had been sent to the troubled areas.
CM Naveen Patnaik appealed to the people of Kandhamal to maintain peace and harmony. "Orissa has a long tradition of communal amity. All of us should work together to maintain it. I request the public of Kandhamal to help the administration restore peace," he said.
[The Times of India]
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Christmas-eve clashes leave 4 hurt in Orissa
BHUBANESWAR: Communal clashes left at least four injured in a remote Brahmanigaon area of Orissa's Kandhmal district on Monday, the eve of Christmas. VHP's local leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was attacked on his way to the spot.
Saraswati's bodyguard and driver also sustained injuries and his vehicle damaged, sparking tension in the region.
The saffron brigade immediately observed a districtwide bandh, burning tyres and shutting down businesses. This forced security personnel to rush in and prevent further conflagration.
Trouble started at around 10 am when a group of Christmas revellers faced opposition from members of another religious community for having set up a temporary gate at Brahmanigaon bazaar.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Christmas-eve_clashes_leave_4_hurt_in_Orissa/articleshow/2649148.cms]
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Curfew clamped in 4 towns, youth killed in violence in Orissa
PHULBANI: Curfew was on Tuesday clamped in four major towns of Orissa's Kandhamala district after one person was killed and at least 24 others injured during a VHP-sponsored bandh in protest against alleged attack on an anti-conversion leader.
"Following largescale violence, we have imposed curfew in district headquarters town of Phulbani, Baliguda, Daringibadi and Brahmanigaon to prevent further flare up", Revenue Divisional Commissioner (southern division) Satyabrata Sahu said.
Expressing concern over the violence on Christmas day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony.
A youth was killed in mob violence at Barakhamba, a senior police officer said, adding he was yet to be identified. The details were not yet known.
At least six churches were attacked, some set on fire, and a minister's residences were attacked, two police outposts and a police vehicle set on fire in the mayhem in different parts of the district since last night following the alleged attack.
"The situation is tense but under control. We are keeping a close watch," the official said.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Curfew_clamped_in_4_towns_youth_killed_in_violence_in_Orissa/articleshow/2650710.cms]
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Fresh communal trouble in Orissa despite curfew
BHUBANESWAR: Despite indefinite curfew, fresh communal violence was reported on Wednesday morning from Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district with clashes in various places and a church and a former MP's house being attacked.
According to police, hundreds of tribals attacked a church at Sarsalanda village under Sadar police station, about 20 km from Phulbani town. A mob also vented its ire on the home of former MP Sribatsa Digal in Line Pada at Phulbani town, an official of the district intelligence bureau said.
Besides, there were reports of communal clashes from half a dozen places but the details were awaited due to "disruption of communication", the official said.
All these incidents occurred late on Tuesday night despite curfew being imposed in the troubled areas of Baliguda, Daringbadi and Brahmani Gaon as well as at the district headquarters of Phulbani.
Curfew was clamped on Christmas night after one person was allegedly killed and over a dozen injured in clashes between Hindus and Christians in the wake of a shutdown called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protest an attack on a Hindu leader.
The four-hour shutdown was to protest Monday's attack on the vehicle of local Hindu leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati near Daringbadi when he was on his way to perform a yagna there.
Saraswati and a person accompanying him were injured and their vehicle partially damaged, district police chief Narasimha Bhol, who is camping in the area, said.
Although more than 1,000 policemen were deployed in sensitive places on Tuesday, people could not reach many of the troubled spots as VHP supporters blocked roads with logs.
"The roads are still blocked and the police are trying to reach the village. The state government has sent para-military forces and extra police force to the region to control the situation. They are on their way," Bhol said.
The trouble had started on Monday morning in the Christian-majority Brahmanigaon village, 150 km from the district headquarters of Phulbani, over Christmas celebrations.
While the Christian community wanted to celebrate the day in a grand way, the local Hindus opposed the plan, Bhol said.
This led to clashes between the Hindu and Christian groups. The attack on Saraswati led to escalation in the violence.
Besides the VHP, the local Kui tribal community had also given a shutdown call demanding immediate solution to their problems. The clashes took place mostly when VHP supporters attacked shops in various places.
At least a dozen churches and a dozen of vehicles including two police vehicles were set on fire. Besides, the protestors attacked house of the elder brother of the state steel and mines minister Padmanav Behera and torched one of his vehicles on Tuesday, police sources said.
The government has deputed the district superintendents of the neighbouring three districts - Gajapati, Boudh and Ganjam - to the spot, a senior police official in Bhubaneswar said.
The trouble areas are a part of the undivided Phulbani district, considered one of the most communally sensitive regions in the state with numerous clashes reported between Hindus and Christians in the past.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Fresh_violence_in_Orissa_despite_curfew/articleshow/2651824.cms]
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BHUBANESWAR: The Christmas party was dampened in Orissa on Tuesday with rioters attacking Churches, prayer halls, police posts, houses and vehicles in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district. One person was killed in the violence during the VHP-sponsored four-hour Orissa bandh, police said.
District authorities imposed curfew as violence went out of control. Trouble erupted on Monday when two groups of people fought over a Christmas welcome arch at a market in Brahmanigaon. The situation worsened when some trouble-makers attacked Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, a local religious leader, as he was going to Brahmanigaon on hearing about the violence.
Mobs torched nearly 10 churches and prayer halls and ransacked police outposts. Even the vehicle of a state cabinet minister was not spared.
Saffron groups observed the bandh to protest against the attack on Saraswati.
Curfew was clamped in Brahmanigaon, Baliguda, Daringibadi and other sensitive areas of the tribal-dominated district. Official sources said senior IPS officers and police personnel from neighbouring districts had been sent to the troubled areas.
CM Naveen Patnaik appealed to the people of Kandhamal to maintain peace and harmony. "Orissa has a long tradition of communal amity. All of us should work together to maintain it. I request the public of Kandhamal to help the administration restore peace," he said.
[The Times of India]
===========================================================
Christmas-eve clashes leave 4 hurt in Orissa
BHUBANESWAR: Communal clashes left at least four injured in a remote Brahmanigaon area of Orissa's Kandhmal district on Monday, the eve of Christmas. VHP's local leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was attacked on his way to the spot.
Saraswati's bodyguard and driver also sustained injuries and his vehicle damaged, sparking tension in the region.
The saffron brigade immediately observed a districtwide bandh, burning tyres and shutting down businesses. This forced security personnel to rush in and prevent further conflagration.
Trouble started at around 10 am when a group of Christmas revellers faced opposition from members of another religious community for having set up a temporary gate at Brahmanigaon bazaar.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Christmas-eve_clashes_leave_4_hurt_in_Orissa/articleshow/2649148.cms]
===========================================================
Curfew clamped in 4 towns, youth killed in violence in Orissa
PHULBANI: Curfew was on Tuesday clamped in four major towns of Orissa's Kandhamala district after one person was killed and at least 24 others injured during a VHP-sponsored bandh in protest against alleged attack on an anti-conversion leader.
"Following largescale violence, we have imposed curfew in district headquarters town of Phulbani, Baliguda, Daringibadi and Brahmanigaon to prevent further flare up", Revenue Divisional Commissioner (southern division) Satyabrata Sahu said.
Expressing concern over the violence on Christmas day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony.
A youth was killed in mob violence at Barakhamba, a senior police officer said, adding he was yet to be identified. The details were not yet known.
At least six churches were attacked, some set on fire, and a minister's residences were attacked, two police outposts and a police vehicle set on fire in the mayhem in different parts of the district since last night following the alleged attack.
"The situation is tense but under control. We are keeping a close watch," the official said.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Curfew_clamped_in_4_towns_youth_killed_in_violence_in_Orissa/articleshow/2650710.cms]
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Fresh communal trouble in Orissa despite curfew
BHUBANESWAR: Despite indefinite curfew, fresh communal violence was reported on Wednesday morning from Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district with clashes in various places and a church and a former MP's house being attacked.
According to police, hundreds of tribals attacked a church at Sarsalanda village under Sadar police station, about 20 km from Phulbani town. A mob also vented its ire on the home of former MP Sribatsa Digal in Line Pada at Phulbani town, an official of the district intelligence bureau said.
Besides, there were reports of communal clashes from half a dozen places but the details were awaited due to "disruption of communication", the official said.
All these incidents occurred late on Tuesday night despite curfew being imposed in the troubled areas of Baliguda, Daringbadi and Brahmani Gaon as well as at the district headquarters of Phulbani.
Curfew was clamped on Christmas night after one person was allegedly killed and over a dozen injured in clashes between Hindus and Christians in the wake of a shutdown called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protest an attack on a Hindu leader.
The four-hour shutdown was to protest Monday's attack on the vehicle of local Hindu leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati near Daringbadi when he was on his way to perform a yagna there.
Saraswati and a person accompanying him were injured and their vehicle partially damaged, district police chief Narasimha Bhol, who is camping in the area, said.
Although more than 1,000 policemen were deployed in sensitive places on Tuesday, people could not reach many of the troubled spots as VHP supporters blocked roads with logs.
"The roads are still blocked and the police are trying to reach the village. The state government has sent para-military forces and extra police force to the region to control the situation. They are on their way," Bhol said.
The trouble had started on Monday morning in the Christian-majority Brahmanigaon village, 150 km from the district headquarters of Phulbani, over Christmas celebrations.
While the Christian community wanted to celebrate the day in a grand way, the local Hindus opposed the plan, Bhol said.
This led to clashes between the Hindu and Christian groups. The attack on Saraswati led to escalation in the violence.
Besides the VHP, the local Kui tribal community had also given a shutdown call demanding immediate solution to their problems. The clashes took place mostly when VHP supporters attacked shops in various places.
At least a dozen churches and a dozen of vehicles including two police vehicles were set on fire. Besides, the protestors attacked house of the elder brother of the state steel and mines minister Padmanav Behera and torched one of his vehicles on Tuesday, police sources said.
The government has deputed the district superintendents of the neighbouring three districts - Gajapati, Boudh and Ganjam - to the spot, a senior police official in Bhubaneswar said.
The trouble areas are a part of the undivided Phulbani district, considered one of the most communally sensitive regions in the state with numerous clashes reported between Hindus and Christians in the past.
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Fresh_violence_in_Orissa_despite_curfew/articleshow/2651824.cms]
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