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‘Orissa situation under control’

Prafulla Das

More than 1,000 people arrested so far, say police

BHUBANESWAR: More than 1,000 people have been arrested so far for alleged involvement in communal riots in Kandhamal and other districts of Orissa, official sources said on Saturday.

The killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati by suspected Maoists at Jalespata in Kandhamal on August 23 triggered the violence.

More than 30 people were killed in Kandhamal when rioters attacked Christians. Thousands of houses and a large number of churches and prayer houses were burnt down and damaged. A Hindu girl who worked as an auxiliary nurse was also burnt alive at an orphanage in Bargarh district.

More than 600 people were arrested and over 900 cases of violence and killing registered in Kandhamal district. Police are hoping to arrest more people as many of the accused are absconding.

The Crime Branch of the State police is investigating all riot-related cases in the district. Fifth-three companies of Central paramilitary forces were deployed in different parts of Kandhamal to maintain law and order and restore peace.

“The situation is under control,” Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar told The Hindu over phone. No incident of violence had taken place during Saturday, he added.

As the administration was trying its best to keep the rioters at bay, night curfew continued in nine towns of Kandhamal. Prohibitory order continued to be in force during night in the entire district.

An official statement said the government had given shelter to 23,000 people in relief camps in Kandhamal. The number of people in the camps has come down to about 13,000, it claimed.

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