Bhubaneshwar, September 2
Home minister Shivraj Patil will visit the troubled areas of Orissa tomorrow for on-the-spot assessment of ground situation. Violence in the state continued for the 10th day in a row, with no signs of return of normalcy, despite positioning of 33 additional companies of paramilitary forces, including six of the Rapid Action Force.
Patil will begin his rounds from Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhmal, which is the epicentre of communal violence against Christians. Orissa government’s own assessment says that 2,400 homes, buildings, including prayer houses and schools, have been either damaged or burnt in the area.
Giving out these figures, Kandhmal district collector Krishan Kumar admitted that violence was reported from some villages under the Tikabali police station, despite the
imposition of night curfew in the entire district. The claims of the district authorities were, however, contested by the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), who have been involved in the relief operations to a certain extent. Representatives of the outfit said the government was indulging in underreporting of violence to cover up its inability to tackle the situation.
Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in Jaypore town of Koraput district, where 25 houses were reportedly burnt yesterday. Violent clashes between Christians and VHP workers were also witnessed in the area, a police officer said. The death toll in the state had reached 40, GCIC spokesperson Asit Mohanty today told The Tribune. Ironically, official estimate of death in Orissa is just 16 and the government has deployed the police and paramilitary forces in 12 of the state’s 30 districts and imposed a curfew in Kandhamal.
As regards the displaced, there is no correct estimate available. But the district administration is now running 10 relief centres in and around Kandhmal, where about 14,500 persons are taking shelter. News is that some of the people, who had fled to jungles fearing violence, are trickling back to the district in anticipation of relief in the camps.
Kumar today said: “Fifty per cent of the people were brought by us, while the others came on their own. Today, we rescued 20 children from a Christian home at Phulbani.”
On the other hand, the Christian Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) today claimed they had proof that the Christians were being forcibly reconverted to Hindus and were being made to target churches.
