New York: A US-based human rights watchdog has urged the Indian government to "act immediately" to end violence between Hindus and Christians in Orissa and demanded an independent inquiry to identify those instigating riots.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged extremist Hindu groups have been conducting an "anti Christian" campaign for several years but government officials looked the other way.

The Orissa government should have addressed this problem before it became violent, said Meenakshi Ganguly, senior researcher for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch. "The authorities are still failing to react quickly enough, and now ordinary people are being attacked."

The HRW condemned the mob violence and urged both Hindu and Christian leaders to work toward peaceful reconciliation. It also called on the Indian government to meet its constitutional and international obligations to ensure that all people may equally enjoy the right to freely profess, practice, propagate and adopt a religion.

Noting that the Orissa government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the recent violence, HRW says it is not enough." "Unless there is a vigorous attempt by the national government to investigate such activities promoting religious hate, India s secular identity will be seriously jeopardised," Ganguly said.

Source : PTI