KENDRAPARA: Police have registered a case against three persons of Korua-Dampara village of Kendrapara district of Orissa who had allegedly assaulted another person of the same village and later tonsured his head for having embraced Christianity recently.

The accused persons belonging to the majority community with the help of other villagers intercepted Bijay Ketan Jena while he was returning from the local market on Wednesdayand beat him up, police said.

No arrest has been made so far in this connection.

Jena along with 18 other Scheduled Caste persons, all belonging to four families, had been converted to Christianity by three Gujarat-based missionaries on July 5.

Police had also registered cases against the three missionaries and the 19 converts as they had violated the provisions of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act.

The situation in the village, badly affected in the current floods, was officially described as tense but under control. The district collector, K C Mohanty and the Superintendent of Police, Sanjay Kumar had rushed to the village to take stock of the situation.