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Hindus not safe in Kandhamal: BJP

Special Correspondent

A team of party leaders visits the violence-affected villages

Administration fails to check violence: BJP leader
Left parties’ leaders too visited the areas

BHUBANESWAR: Even as criticism was growing against the Vishwa Hindu Parishad for allegedly engineering the recent communal violence in Kandhamal, the Orissa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed that more Hindus were affected by the violence that continued non-stop for four days in the district.

At a press conference here, senior BJP leader Jual Oram averred that it was the members of the minority community who were spreading misinformation that members of their community were not safe.

“But the reality was totally different. The Hindus were not feeling safe in Kandhamal at present,” he claimed.

Mr. Oram, who led a team of party leaders and toured some of the affected villages, further claimed that some missionaries and voluntary organisations working in the district were behind the violence.

The BJP leader, however, admitted that the administration had failed to contain violence in Brahmanigaon area where members of the minority community had burnt down the houses of those from the majority community on the fourth day of the violence on December 27.

Mr. Oram also said the relief being provided to the affected families was not sufficient. The authorities must provide adequate relief to the affected families, he said.

He also demanded that the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act should be strictly implemented in Kandhamal to check illegal conversions. The BJP leader also urged the government to inquire into the fake caste certificates that some people had got from various authorities to take up government jobs in the reserved category.

Left parties’ charge

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Community Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation claimed that the communal violence in Kandhamal was the handiwork of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that was working in the district to create a division among the natives. Giving their findings after a visit to the district at a press conference, Kshitish Biswal of the CPI(M-L) and Gananath Patra of CPI(M-L) Liberation further blamed the major political parties for dividing people to strengthen their respective vote bank.

Blame on police

They blamed the district administration and the police for not taking action against the attackers who burnt down houses of the families belonging to the minority community and damaged churches and other properties.

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