Author: Jatindra Dash
Publication: Reuters
Date: October 6, 2008
URL: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-35824220081006?sp=true
Police arrested two Christians in Orissa on
Monday in connection with the murder of a Hindu leader that sparked weeks
of deadly clashes, a killing which is also blamed on Maoist rebels.
The arrests were the first in the killing
of Laxmanananda Saraswati in August, a Hindu proselytiser linked with India's
main Hindu-nationalist opposition party.
The murder unleashed a wave of retaliatory
attacks by Hindus on Christians in the rural Kandhamal district of Orissa
-- leaving at least 35 people dead -- that has been a zone of Christian missionary
activities for decades.
"We have arrested two people," Arun
Kumar Ray, inspector general of police, told Reuters, adding that those held
were Christians.
A police officer said the two had links with
the Maoist rebels. Ray said a third person had been also detained.
The violence against Christians in Orissa
was followed by similar attacks in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Hindu nationalists
either share power or rule outright in all the three states.
Despite posting thousands of policemen, violence
has continued, especially in Kandhamal where thousands of Christians now live
in government camps because their homes are destroyed or they are too fearful
to return.
Police have arrested about 1000 people, mostly
Hindus, in connection with the attacks in Orissa. Hindu groups deny their
involvement in the violence, which have been condemned by Pope Benedict. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh has called it a "national shame".
