New Delhi, Sept. 16 : The National Human Rights Commission will be sending an investigation team to the violence affected areas of Orissa to make an inquiry on the spot to ascertain the factual position.

The Commission’s move comes on a petition submitted to it by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, seeking protection from violence at the hands of the fundamentalists.

The petition said that the attacks on Christians started with the murder of VHP leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2008 in Kandhamal District.

Bhubaneswar, Sept 16 : Fresh violence erupted on Tuesday in Orissa as an armed mob gunned down a police constable and torched a police station at Gochapada in the communally sensitive Kandhamal District.

Armed with country-made guns and crude weapons, a group of about 500 shot dead a constable and set ablaze the police station early this morning, police sources said.

Chandipur (Orissa), Sept 13 : ''Astra'', the indigenously air-to-air anti-aircraft missile was successfully test fired for the second consecutive day on Sunday from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Orissa.

The Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, capable of ducking radar eyes and attacking enemy targets up to 110 km, was test fired from launch pad number two of the ITR complex at about 11.47 a. m., according to reports.

Chandipur (Orissa), Sept 13: India on Saturday successfully test fired the ''Astra'', which is an active radar homing Beyond Visual Range Air-To-Air Missile (BVRAAM), from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur in Orissa.

The ''Astra'' missile was test-fired from a launcher in the launch pad number 2 of the ITR complex at about 12:05 p. m., defence sources said.

Mumbai/Patna, Sep 8 : Christians took out a rally in Mumbai on Sunday to protest against the recent violence in Orissa''s Kandhamal District.

Eminent social activists Teesta Setelvad and Swami Agnivesh joined the rally, expressing concern on the attacks against the minority community.

Bhubaneswar, Sept 4 : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia’s proposed yatra carrying the ashes of slain Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati throught Orissa will not be allowed assured the State’s Government told the Supreme Court on Thursday.

A bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, directed the state government to ensure that no untoward incident takes place in riot-hit Kandhamal District.

The Orissa government said prohibitory orders under section-144 have been clamped in the area.