Home India News Two days after clashes, husband and wife found dead in Kandhamal

Two days after clashes, husband and wife found dead in Kandhamal

By IANS,

Bhubaneswar : Two days after communal clashes in a village in Orissa’s volatile Kandhamal district, police have found the bodies of a Christian couple five kilometres away from each other, officials said Monday.

On Sunday night, the body of 45-year-old Priyatama Digal was recovered from Majhipadar village. Her husband Meghanad Digal was found dead in Barpada, five kilometres away.

They were allegedly killed during communal clashes between Hindu and Christians on Sep 26 at a nearby village called Sankarakhol, police said.

With the deaths of the couple, the death toll in communal clashes that broke out Aug 23 after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader has risen to 30.

Since then, thousands of people have been rendered homeless and many churches attacked in the district.

Nearly 4,000 security personnel have been deployed and prohibitory orders are still in force in the district. Night curfew continues in most towns.

Though police maintains that no fresh violence has been reported from any part of the district, reports of arson have been coming in from villages in the interior.