NEW DELHI: The recent carnage in Orissa state during communal violence against poor and helpless members of Christian community has sent a new wave of fears and insecurity among minorities of India.

The ugly episode began following the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmananada Saraswati on August 23 last which triggered horrors in the streets of Kandamal, a worst -hit district of the state where Hindu extremists including activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal went on rampage killing the members of poor community and setting on fire their churches, prayers halls and orphan houses.

The officials have put the death toll at 16 but independent sources and All India Christian Council, a body representing different Christian organizations have put the toll at more than 24.

Hundreds of churches, prayer Halls, Christian centres including a missionary-run orphan house were torched in no time in Kandhamal and surrounding districts in a bid to take revenge for the murder of Hindu leader who was reportedly killed by Naxalites.

Later, Naxalites who are active in the area took the responsibility of killing the VHP leader.

The reports from the area suggested that unaccounted bodies of members of Christian community are still lying in nearby dense jungles where the helpless community fled to escape death. They were followed and butchered there by the Hindu activists.

This region had witnessed a trail of death and destruction in the same fashion when Christians were butchered in the streets of at the hands of saffron forces when they were celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in December last year.

This time, the “dance of death” continued for almost two weeks in different districts of Orissa state and also spilled over to border state of Madhya Pradesh when the state machinery failed to stop the onslaughts of Hindu extremists.

Thousands of Christians fled to dense jungles to escape their lives. Incidents of forcible conversion to Hinduism were also reported by Christian organizations of the area.