With churches preparing to hold midnight mass on Christmas eve, the police patrolling was intensified on Monday in Kandhamal.

The Kandhamal district administration has sought three companies of the Rapid Action Forces (RAF) and two units of the ODRAF (Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force) in addition to the 4,000 local policemen and paramilitary police already deployed in the strife-torn district. The administration has divided the entire district into 39 sectors for better police administration and sealed the roads connecting Baliguda, Tumulibandha, Barkhama, Paburia, Sirtiguda, Simanbadi, Daringbadi, Saranggada, Tikabali, Telangapadar, G Udaygiri, Kalinga, Raikia, Chakapada and Charichhaka.

Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said all steps had been taken to avoid any untoward incidents. "We are keeping a close watch on churches. Night patrolling has also been increased for a peaceful Christmas. It would be on till the festivities get over," Kumar said.

"We had a meeting with the Catholics and Baptists of Kandhamal on Saturday and they have expressed their desire of holding midnight mass on the intervening night of December 24-25," he said denying rumours of Christians not holding midnight mass. Even Christian leader Fr Jospeh Kalathil of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Diocese said all Christians would hold midnight mass at their "own convenience". "We have not asked any church not to hold midnight mass. But in a few cases, some churches may hold the mass a little earlier," said Kalathil.

Earlier, there were reports that the churches in Kandhamal were asked to refrain from the midnight mass. "We have asked the churches in Kandhamal to take necessary steps to skip the midnight prayer on December 24 in view of the prevailing situation," Cuttack-Bhubaneswar diocese Archbishop Raphael Cheenath was quoted in agency reports to have said. Cheenath, who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday, claimed to have information of a number of mischief mongers entering the Kotagarh area of Kandhamal.

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