PM calls Patnaik as violence continues

BHUBANESHWAR: Prime minister Manmohan Singh held a telephonic talk with Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday night over the deteriorating law and order situation in Kandhamal, even as fresh violence erupted in the district.

While members of the Christian community allegedly set a temple afire near Raikia on Friday afternoon, the saffron brigade torched a few more churches. The official toll of the communal clashes has now reached 10.

With curfew restricting activity in major parts of the district, including G Udaygiri, Phulbani and Raikia, mobs targetted churches in remote areas.

The police could not reach the interiors even on Friday as people felled trees to block approach roads.

Revenue divisional commissioner (southern division) Satyabrata Sahu said normalcy was slowly returning to the district. “Though sporadic violence continues in many parts of the district, the people who had fled to the jungles fearing for their lives are slowly returning.” He, however, admitted that a lot of people were still hiding in dense jungles. “Around 6,000 people have returned to the relief camps set up by the state government in Kandhamal,” he said.