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Churches burnt as anti-Christian violence hits eastern India

• Rachel Stevenson and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, 
• Monday September 01 2008 11:46 BST
• Article history

A defaced portrait of Jesus hangs on the wall of a Christian house after mob violence in Orissa, India. Photograph: Parth Sanyal/ Reuters

Four more churches in eastern India have been burnt after a week of religious violence that has driven thousands of people from their homes and into hiding.

At least 14 people have died in attacks by groups of Hindus, who went on the rampage after a Hindu leader was killed last week.

Reports say more than 60 churches in the state of Orissa have been burnt and around 3,000 homes have been destroyed as mobs tore through mainly Christian villages.

Hindu and Christian leaders have been appealing for calm, but violence spread to new parts of the state over the weekend.

Police confirmed four churches, in the districts of Koraput and Rayagada, were set on fire by mobs.

Local newspapers reported that further churches and houses had been burnt in other districts, and there were reports that more bodies had been found.

The violence has forced at least 6,000 people to take shelter in government camps. Around 5,000 more are believed to be hiding in forests around Kandhamal.

Religious violence has hit the tribal regions of Orissa for years, with Hindus and Christians fighting over conversions.

Christians account for around 2.5% of India's population, but the percentage in the Kandhamal area is much higher as a result of conversions to Christianity.

Hindu groups accuse Christian priests of bribing poor tribes and low caste Hindus to change their faith, while Christians claim Hindus convert willingly to escape the complex caste system.

The latest violence erupted after the murder of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, along with four other activists from the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) party, last Saturday.

The VHP originally claimed Christians were to blame for the deaths, but Maoist guerillas have since claimed responsibility.

The violence has drawn international condemnation, including from the pope. The Italian foreign ministry said it would summon India's ambassador to demand "incisive action" to prevent further attacks against Christians.