By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Three people, including a journalist, have been detained here for allegedly printing and circulating an inflammatory book on the communal violence that Orissa witnessed in August and September, police said Monday.
The book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) is said to have highly objectionable content and copies of it have been seized by the police. The book has been circulated in large numbers in the state, officials said.
“We have detained three people in this connection on Sunday,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Himanshu Lal told IANS.
At least 700 copies of the book were seized from a printing press and those detained include its owner identified as Lenin, who also edits a periodical called ‘Nishan’, an official said.
The printing press has been sealed, the official added.
Civil liberty groups in the state have condemned the police action against Lenin and say the charges against him are false.
Orissa’s Kandhamal district, located some 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23.
While the police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.
Thousands of Christians were forced to flee from their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. More than 10,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.