Christian graves, cross damaged in Andhra

The incident comes close on the heels of attacks on churches at Ongole and Tadepalligudem in the state earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the recent reconversion of five members of a family from Christianity to Hinduism in a remote village of Cuttack district in Orissa has taken a new twist with the District Magistrate issuing notices to the organisers, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the converts for violating the Orissa Freedom of Religions Act.

DM Pradeep Kumar Jena issued the notices yesterday to the VHP and the President of the Banabasi Kalyan Ashram, Swami Pranrupananda, who had organised the reconversion ceremony on the ashram’s premises at Keuta Bereni Village, about 25 km from here, and one Dinabandhu Chatter, whose family was reconverted to Hinduism on June 17.

According to official sources, they were asked to explain how the reconversion ceremony was conducted without prior information being given to the district administration as required under the law. Jena issued the notice following the receipt of a report from a team of officers deputed to the village to verify the facts, sources said.