Security was tightened in parts of Kandhamal district after a Hindu religious leader was pelted with stones, according to Indo-Asian News Service.
About a dozen in the district were tense after three men stoned Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati while he was traveling back to his ashram in Tikabali after attending a religious ceremony at Udayagiri, near the district headquarters, officials here said.
The attack took place March 10 night, police said adding that the attackers blocked the road with their motorcycles and pelted stones on the jeep Laxmanananda Saraswati was traveling in. He was hit in the eye and the vehicle was damaged.
Police have identified all three attackers and arrested them March 11 afternoon. Additional police personnel have been rushed to Tikabali and nearby areas. The tribal district of Kandhamal, 350 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, has a large Christian population.
The Swami has angered the more radical among the local Christians by opposing missionary activities in the area and bringing many converts back into the Hindu fold, said Mr. Subash Choyhan, the chief of the Hindu rightwing Bajrang Dal's state unit.
Two years ago Laxmanananda Saraswati's
ashram was set on fire, he added.