After a village police station was on fire, the police had opened fire upon a large group of Hindus. Three people were killed when police fired upon the crowd. They had complained about the inadequate protection they have received after Christians set fire to several Hindu homes.
The Christians in India retaliated after 19 churches were destroyed in the acts of violence that began on Christmas Eve. Despite a curfew by the police, the disorder in the tribal area continues.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) a hard line Hindu group said that the Christians sparked the violence by attacking one of their leaders. The Hindu groups have accused Christian missionaries of forcing the tribes and low-caste people to convert to Christianity.
However, the Christians deny the accusations. They fire back saying that the Hindus object to them celebrating Christmas.
According to BBC, the issue of conversion of faith is a sensitive topic in India. Several of the Indian states have laws that forbid converting or make converting difficult.