At least 500 Christians killed in Orissa, government sources say

11/04/2008
INDIA

The official death toll stands at 31 but a fact-finding mission by a Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist team in the affected area sheds new light on the scale of the attacks and on the present conditions of the refugees. It calls for the banning of radical Hindu groups. New Delhi (AsiaNews) – A representative of the local government in Orissa estimated that more than 500 people died as a consequence of the anti-Christian pogrom launched by Hindu fundamentalists. He said he personally authorised the cremation of at least 200 bodies.

The representative, on condition of anonymity, reported these facts and figures to a team sent by the Communist Party of India (CPL-ML) on a fact finding visit to Kandhamal district.

Officially, according to the state government, the official death toll now stands at 31. the rest