NEW DELHI, INDIA (ANS) — At least 18 people are confirmed dead in 92 incidents of violence against Christians since suspected Maoists murdered Hindu leader Swamiji Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others on Saturday (Aug. 23) in Orissa state, says Compass News Direct (CND).
With Hindu extremists inciting hatred by heated accusations that Christians killed Saraswati, the national newspaper Hindu reported yesterday that nine people had been killed in Orissa violence, and a CND source near the state capital of Bhubaneswar confirmed an additional nine people slain.