150 Christian houses burnt

BERHAMPUR, March 17 (PTI) — About 150 houses, mostly belonging to Christians, were burnt down and 12 persons were injured in a clash between two communities at Ranalai village in Gajapati district of Orissa yesterday, official sources said today.

Of the 12 injured, four received bullet wounds. The police has so far arrested 29 person.

While eight of the injured were released after first-aid, three were admitted to the MKCG Medical College Hospital here. One person was being treated at Chheligada.

The police has registered three cases in connection with the clash which occurred after a cross carved on a hillock was tampered with by miscreants on Monday.

Country-made guns were used during the clash and the jeep of the Block Development Officer damaged, the sources said.

Tension continued to prevail in the area for the third day today even as Chief Minister, Giridhar Gamang accompanied by Minister of State for Home Prasad Harichandan and Home Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy visited the village to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

Seven platoons of the armed police have been deployed in the village.

The issue cropped up in the state assembly for the second day today with the Opposition BJD, JD and BJP members demanding suspension of all other business of the House to take up a discussion on the Ranalai incident.

The Opposition members, who had given notices of adjournment on the subject, pressed for adjournment of the House but the Speaker, Mr Chintamani Dyan Samantara refused to relent.

The Speaker informed the members that the Chief Minister, before leaving for Ranalai this morning, had telephoned him to say that the matter could be discussed in the House on his return from the scene of the violence.

Mr Samantara suggested that the discussion could be held tomorrow. The BJD member Mr Bijoy Mohapatra, expressed serious concern over the incident and demanded that the government provide a detailed report on the actions it had initiated on the recommendations of the House committee headed by the Speaker which had inquired into the earlier incident at nearby Ramgiri-Udayagiri on December 8 last.

It was unfortunate that another condemnable incident had taken place within three months, Mr Mohapatra said, adding that it only proved that the administrative machinery had completely collapsed.

Incidents of attacks on Christians had continued even after the ruling Congress had changed the Chief Minister, he said.

"Orissa has become a laboratory for such activities".

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Sachidananda Dalal, JD member Ashok Das, BJP legislature group leader Biswabhushan Harichandan and JD member Nalinikanta Mohanty also demanded that the matter be taken up for discussion immediately.