3 killed as police open fire to quell Hindu, Christian violence in Orissa

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NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (AP): Police in eastern India killed at least three people when they opened fire on a group of hard-line Hindus who set fire to a police station during continuing clashes between Hindus and Christians, officials said Friday.
The killings, which occurred Thursday in the remote corner of Orissa state, bring the death toll count to four since violence broke out on Christmas Eve, when long-standing tensions between the Hindu majority and the Christian minority erupted over conversions to Christianity.
The Hindus had attacked the police station in Kandhamal district's Brahmangaon village, complaining of a lack of protection after a group of Christians burned down several Hindu homes in an apparent retaliation for attacks on churches. The state's chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, told reporters Friday that three people were killed there but provided no other details.
A retired judge will probe the causes of outbreak of violence between Hindus and Christians, said Vaishnav Mohanti, a state government spokesman.
The announcement was made after Christian leaders met Patnaik and demanded an inquiry by federal investigators and compensation to the victims.
No fresh incidents of violence were reported Friday, Mohanti said.