authorities announced a curfew following religious violence in which at least one person was killed.The clashes between Hindus and Muslims were seen as a major test for the new police chief of Orissa, Suchit Das, who is a Christian.
Fighting broke out in the Kendrapara area, about 75 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital
Bhubaneswar after an apparently Hindu contractor was shot dead by Muslim gunmen on Monday, July 1.
Activists of the hard-line Hindu groups Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Jagaran Manch went on a rampage and torched several shops belonging to Muslim communities, a BosNewsLife reporter in the region established.
The religious violence was expected to add to concern among other religious minorities including Christians who complained about harassment by Hindu militants and attacks against church workers and missionaries.
POLICE ATTACKED
In recent days, Hindu militants also attacked a police officer-in-charge of Kendrapada, identified as Pandav Mohanty, who sustained injuries on his head, news reports said. They also shouted slogans during large rallies in Kendrapara against government and police officials.
Even more moderate Hindu representatives and opposition parties have accused police of not doing enough to stop the situation. They say the situation could have been averted if the district administration a and police "would have made sincere efforts to curb the criminal activities of gangsters."
Several government and opposition officials attempted to reach the family of the murdered contractor, but failed to reached them because of the curfew. The area was still "tense but in control", said Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik.
