KANDHAMAL, India — A Christian couple was found murdered, a woman was killed, numerous houses and churches were burned and low-intensity bombs exploded at relief camps in the last week of September in Orissa state’s Kandhamal district, where Hindu extremist violence began more than a month earlier.
On Sept. 28, police found the body of Priyatamma Digal, an auxiliary nurse and midwife, in a river.
The next day, the body of her husband, Meghanath, was recovered. According to The Times of India newspaper, the Christian couple were killed Sept. 25.
On Sept. 30 attacks by unidentified armed groups in the villages of Rudangia, Telingia and Gadaguda in Kandhamal resulted in more than 100 houses burned and the death of Ramani Nayak of Rudangia village, reported The Hindu. Her religious affiliation was not known at press time.
Eight people were seriously injured in the attacks, according to reports and about 20 people received minor injuries.
Bomb blasts Sept. 29 rocked three Kandhamal relief camps in the Nuagaon area, Mahasinghi village and Baliguda town, reported the Press Trust of India (PTI). No casualties were reported, but the explosions left residents of the relief camps fearing for their lives.
“Since they have been successful in exploding bombs near the heavily guarded relief camp, there is no guarantee the explosion will not take place in other camps,” one refugee told PTI.
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