India inquiry into murders

New Delhi - India's cabinet decided yesterday to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the weekend murders of an Australian…

New Delhi - India's cabinet decided yesterday to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the weekend murders of an Australian Christian missionary, Mr Graham Staines, and his two sons, officials said.

The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, said the decision was made after he and two other ministers visited the eastern state of Orissa, where the missionary and his children were burnt to death while they slept. Mr Fernandes said there were no signs of tension between Christians and non-Christians in the predominantly tribal area of Manoharpur where the murders took place.