BHUBANESHWAR: Orissa Chief Minster Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced that his government will not permit Hindu outfits have a shutdown on Christmas day.
The Hindutva groups had declared a shutdown strike on Christmas day demanding the arrests of those involved in the killings of Hindu leader Laxmanananda Saraswati, whose murder had set off the large scale violence against the Christians in the state.
While replying to a state assembly discussion on the communal violence in the district of Kandhama Patnaik said that he will not allow Hindu groups to have a bandh or shutdown on Dec. 25.
Police had Maoists were behind the killings of Saraswati, but Hindutva forces accused Christians of murdering the Hindu leader and attacked their homes, churches and convents.
Some 50,000 Christians have fled their home fearing for their lives, many have left the state itself, and still there are hundreds spending their days in refugee camps. At least 60 people were killed in the violence that continued for seven week from Aug. 24.
Hindu groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP-world Hindu council) Rashtriya Swayamevak Sangh (RSS-national volunteers corps) say they will observe a bandh if police fail to arrest people who killed Saraswati.
State police have already arrested seven people, four of them last week. But police have not let out the identity of those arrested.
Source: Indian Catholic News Service
Date: December 17,
Evangelical Fellowship of India
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