Kandhmal violence claims eight lives so far

Bhubaneswar, Aug 27 (UNI) With one more death reported in Phiringia today, the toll in the ongoing violence in Kandhamal district following the assassination of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati and four others has gone up to eight.

Official sources said five people were killed on the Orissa bandh day on August 25, four of them in Raikia and one in Tikabali while one woman was burnt to death in Baragarh district in Western Orissa when miscreants set afire an orphangae at Khutpali village under Padampur police station.

Kandhamal Police today said two people were killed at Barakhamba village under Baliguda police station yesterday during a clash between the two communities, adding that one casualty was reported in Phiringia today during a communal clash.

At least four people, injured in the violence, had been admitted to hospitals. While two of them were being treated at Baliguda, the other two were admitted at Phiringia.

Curfew was clamped in eight sensitive areas of Kandhamal district yesterday but relaxed in two places following an improvement in the situation.

State Director General Police Gopal Kumar Nanda, however, denied that any shoot-at-sight order has been issued.

Meanwhile, the government had requested the Centre to provide additional paramilitary forces to contain the situation in the district.

Police clamed that barring stray incidents of violence, no major untoward incident had so far been reported from any parts of the district.

UNI BD DP DPM RN1602