20 more houses torched in Kandhamal

After three warnings from the Union Home Ministry over its failure in containing violence in Kandhamal for over a month, the Orissa Government on Friday stepped up efforts to stop arsoning and killings even as violence continued in the district. For over a month, the district has been on the boil as it continues to be fuelled by a deadly cocktail of ethnic, religious and economic issues.

While Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy described the situation in Kandhamal as ‘very tense’, Naveen Patnaik said the violence was under control. In Kandhamal, however, arsoning continued as 20 houses in Gesinghia in G Udaygiri block were torched. In a related incident, hundreds of women blocked the Raikia-G Udaygiri road protesting the arrest of 16 people including two minor girls who have been taken to custody over the attack on Raikia police station on Wednesday.

Though police and district administration officials hoped they would be able to contain the violence, they seemed to be worried over Thursday’s attack at Sishpanga village in Raikia in which a Dalit Hindu was killed by Christian tribals.