As senior police officials maintained that the situation was “under control”, a terse missive from the Union Home Ministry asked the state Government to ensure that the prevailing situation of lawlessness is effectively brought under control. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has also pulled up the BJD-BJP coalition for its inability to handle the situation and called the police ineffective.

About 30 houses and two prayer houses were burnt and damaged at Simanjodi village of Daringibadi block by an unruly mob. In Batingia village of Chakapada block, 50 houses were torched while angry tribals blocked the Raikia town demanding release of their brethren arrested in arson cases. Kandhamal officials imposed Sec 144 in Raikia and curfew as the paramilitary forces marched on the street. Kandhamal SP S Praveen Kumar said night curfew has been continuing in nine sensitive areas in the wake of fresh violence and arson in this region.

In Rakingia village of Raikia block, a team of Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) that had gone to clear roadblocks was attacked forcing the accompanying police to open fire. Two tribals have reportedly been killed. Sources said tribals with bows and arrows launched an attack on the ODRAF. As many as 26 companies of the CRPF and three companies of the Rapid Action Force have been deployed in the district. In another incident, a mob of about 400 people chased an ex-serviceman into a forest at Damiguda in Tikabali area after he threatened to fire at miscreants who tried to torch his house.

One more person was killed in Raikia block after Dalit Christians of Gundhari village hurled bombs at the tribal-dominated village of Sirsapanga in the afternoon. Sources said the deceased, Raghav Digal, a Dalit Hindu, was a Government employee.

In New Delhi, a senior Home Ministry official described the situation in Orissa as “pretty bad”, something that required the state government to take “very tough measures”. In its communication to the state, the Home Ministry said a “situation of apparent lawlessness” prevailed in certain parts of the state and asked it to “review” the steps that have so far been taken by the law enforcement agencies.

Strict instructions should be issued to all concerned to ensure that the prevailing situation of apparent lawlessness in some areas is brought under control,” it said.