ORISSA, INDIA (ANS) -- Indian Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, who has been on a two-day visit to the troubled Orissa, has told Christian riot victims there that he was "sorry" for what had occured.

Home Minister of India, Mr. P. Chidambaram

According to news released by the Global Council of Indian Christians on their website www.persecution.in, many churches in Orissa were burnt and thousands of Christians, mainly tribals, had to flee their villages after being targeted by Hindus in the wake of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu radical group (VHP) leader Swami Lakshmanand Saraswati by Maoists last year in Orissa.

The news source also added that Kandhamal, a place in Orissa State, had witnessed the killing of 38 Christians during the communal violence and the survivors have been living in different relief camps for nearly 10 months.

Christians living in one of Orissa's relief camps

The news source reported that, while appealing to displaced Christians

to return to their villages, Chidambaram said, “I am sorry for what happened. Those who have done this will be punished. Please go back to your villages and start your life once again. I came here to look at your conditions. The central and Orissa governments will do everything to remove your difficulties.

“You must be confident that you are safe...wrongdoers will be punished. There is a need for all sections of society to live together.”

The website also reported that he told the victims that the government would give them “full protection.”

According to the news site, the Home Minister was accompanied during his visit to all the relief camps in the area, by senior state police officers, which included the Director General of Police and also district civil officials.