Fear psychosis still grips Kandhamal district: BJD

Bhubaneswar, Jan 21 (UNI) A fact-finding team of the ruling Biju Janata Dal, which visited the strife-torn Kandhamal last week, today said a fear psychosis still gripped the area and complete normalcy had not yet been restored in the district.

A five-member team, led by Jayram Pangi, visited the riot-affected areas of the district including Khajuripada, Brahamanigaon, Phiringia, Barkhama Gadapur, Baliguda and Daringibadi for two days beginning January 19.

Besides Mr Pangi, the other members of the team were Jitendranath Mitra, Yogendra Behera, Pratap Jena (All MLAs) and Parliament Member Brahmananda Panda.

The team told newspersons here that the people were fear-stricken and it would take some more time for normaley to return to the area.

They said they had briefed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about their findings and would submit a detailed report after his return from New Delhi in the last week of this month.

The team said the people had expressed their satisfaction over the relief and rehabilitation work undertaken by the government.

The district had witnessed communal strife between Christians and Hindus on December 24 last claiming three lives. Several houses belonging to both the communities, were set ablaze, while the places of worships damaged forcing the authorities to deploy paramilitary forces, besides the state armed police forces and impose curfew in all the sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

The government had already ordered a judicial inquiry to be headed by a retired High court judge to probe the incident. So far over 150 people from both the communities were arrested in connection with the violence.

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