By IANS
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will Wednesday tour Orissa’s Kandhamal district to assess the situation in the wake of the communal clashes there and also meet the state governor and the chief minister.
Union home ministry sources said Tuesday that Patil will tour the areas affected by riots between Hindus and Christians over the celebration of Christmas, in which three people were killed and several injured. The minister will assess the measures taken so far to control the communal situation.
On Christmas, mobs allegedly owing allegiance to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal torched 14 churches in Kandhamal. The Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Orissa has been accused of not taking appropriate and timely action in the matter.
Central paramilitary forces have been deployed to bring back normalcy to the area.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Congress spokesperson, had told reporters Monday: “It is regrettable that the BJD government has allowed the VHP and Bajrang Dal to indulge in such activities. Over 2,000 people have been forced to live in refugee camps.”