The Government of India has criticised the state governments of Orissa and Karnataka over their failure to control violence by Hindu radical groups.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a warning under Article 355 that it would be compelled to take action against the state governments if violence did not cease.

Article 355 of the Constitution obliges states to protect against external aggression and internal disturbance.

According to reports, militant Hindu groups the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have persecuted Christians in various parts of the country.

Hundreds of churches were burned and Christians murdered in Orissa state before Bajrang Dal and VHP shifted their attention to south India, where the ongoing violence in Mangalore and other areas has been deplored countrywide.

In Mangalore, schools and shops remain shut and vehicles kept off the roads following violent clashes and demonstrations by Christian groups protesting attacks on them.

The National Commission for Minorities said that there are "serious lapses" on the part of the Karnataka government in controlling the attacks on churches and prayer halls throughout the state.

It has sought the arrest of Bajrang Dal state convener Mahendra Kumar, who has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, and action against the police personnel who allegedly abetted violence.

Recent anti-Christian violence in Karnataka and in the eastern state of Orissa have led to calls for a ban on Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.