India's Supreme Court demands report on religious riots

India's Supreme Court yesterday ordered eastern Orissa state to report on steps taken to stop a wave of anti-Christian rioting that has claimed 16 lives, a court official said.
Some 200 people have been arrested in connection with the riots and 13,000 others, mostly Christians, are sheltering under police guard in seven camps in Orissa's Kandhamal district.
Thousands of others have fled to the jungles after their homes, churches and prayer halls were torched.
The violence, which erupted after the August 23 murder of a popular Hindu leader by unknown gunmen, has drawn condemnation from the pope.
The court's ruling, directing the Orissa administration to submit its report on Thursday, came after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ordered the state to punish those responsible for murder and arson.