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Centre rushes forces to Orissa

Vinay Kumar

— Photo: S. Subramanium

DRIVEN TO DESPERATION: Christians from Kandhamal hold placards outside the office of the United Nations in New Delhi on Wednesday, protesting the failure of the Centre to protect minorities in Orissa. In a memorandum submitted to the U.N., the delegation said ‘Oriya Christians’ had become stateless people and should be given refugee status.

NEW DELHI: As the fury of communal violence continued to engulf Kandhamal district of Orissa, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday rushed 10 more companies of Central para-military forces to help the State government.

While six companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were immediately sent, the remaining companies would be leaving in a day or two, according to a Ministry spokesperson here.

As reported by The Hindu earlier, the Orissa government had sought 10 additional companies to tackle the situation in Kandhamal district arising out of incidents of violence against Christians. The Home Ministry said Orissa already had 67 companies, and it would be severely constrained to pull out personnel from other States.

The Ministry asked the State government to deploy Central forces in a “proper” manner and also advised it to utilise the services of 24 companies given for anti-naxalite operations.

However, even the redeployment failed to put down lawlessness in Kandhamal district. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has also decided to send its team to Orissa after October 9 to assess the situation.

In view of the festival season, particularly Eid, Durga Puja and Dussehra and in the wake of the recent blasts in the national capital, the Ministry has given nine companies of Central forces to the Delhi government.

It is sending four companies to Malegaon (Maharashtra), which witnessed a bomb blast in a hotel on September 29. Two persons were killed in the incident.

Prafulla Das reports from Phulbani:

Violence continued in the interior areas of Kandhamal district. Pro-Hinduvta protesters burnt down five houses at Paningia village in Chakapad area in the early hours of the day.

At least 30 houses were torched in two villages in the Rakia block in the afternoon.

Indefinite curfew was imposed from midnight as the police arrested local leaders belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Kui Samaj, an organisation of Kondh tribals.

Earlier, the Orissa High Court directed the Centre to send additional paramilitary forces as sought by the State government.

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