Two person burned to death, dozen of church torched as violence spreads in Orissa

Bhubaneswar (Orissa): Two people burned to death, dozen of church torched as violence spreads in Orissa Continuing their protest against the gruesome killng of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, the agitating people have killed two persons including a woman on Monday. The woman was burnt to death when few unidentified persons torched an orphanage run by a minority organisation at Phutpali in Bargarh district, official sources said. Twenty children, who were at the orphanage, managed to escape, but a pastor suffered serious burn injuries in the attack, the sources said. Another person, identified as Rasananda Pradhan, was burnt to death when his house was set ablaze at Rupa village in Kandhamal district where the VHP leader was gunned down along with four others on Saturday night. According to reports reaching here, more than dozens of Churches have been torched by the protesters. Churches were reportedly attacked in Khurda, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Koraput, Boudh, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur and Kandhamal districts as also in the State Capital, police sources said, adding 40 houses were set ablaze in Phulbani town. As the body of Saraswati reached Chakapada in Kandhamal district for the last rites, nine shops and two vehicles were torched at Raikia while two jeeps were burnt by miscreants at Udaygiri. (Odishatoday)