Violence erupts between Orissa's tribal groups India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Violence has rocked Orissa's Narayanpatna region following a clash between the two factions of the Maoist backed tribal outfit Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS). Involved in forcible acquisition of lands from non-tribal farmers for past three months the outfit is now ridden with violent factionalism, one belonging to Bandhugaon and other to Naraynapatna. The activists of the Bandhugaon unit set at least a dozen tribal houses afire, accusing the owners of being supporters of the Narayanpatna unit. Reportedly, one person has died in the fighting. On Sunday, a group of tribals blocked the stretch between Bandhugaon and Narayanpatna, making movement impossible. However, with the situation turning bad, the state authorities have assured intervention in the matter. "They not running parallel, they are fighting each other to prove their superiority. The law will take its own course of action," said Surya Narayan Patra, Revenue Minister of Orissa. In the past three months, they had acquired around 3,000 acres of non-tribal land in both these regions and distributed it amongst the tribals. The unrest had also prompted many non-tribals to flee the region.