A European Union delegation on Thursday visited Indian villages hit by deadly anti-Christian riots in 2008 to review resettlement efforts for the thousands of people left homeless.
The 11-member group arrived in Kandhamal in the eastern state of Orissa, where scores of Christians were massacred by rampaging Hindu mobs who burned churches, orphanages and Catholic-run schools.
Christophe Manet, a member of the EU delegation, told reporters they had spoken with riot victims to assess their quality of life and their healthcare and education facilities.
"The team also met top government officers and inquired about the post-riot situation," senior police official Manmohan Prahraj told AFP from Orissa's capital Bhubaneshwar, 300 kilometres (200 miles) from Kandhamal.
Local Hindu groups had blamed Christian missionaries for the killing of a Hindu religious leader, triggering a month of violence which forced at least 50,000 people to flee their homes, according to the All India Christian Council.
On Thursday, activists of hardline Hindu organisations protested against the visit saying it was a violation of India's sovereignty.
"Their visit is going to further polarise the society and open up old chasms between the two communities," said Subhash Chouhan, a senior member of Bajrang Dal, a right-wing Hindu outfit.
Christians account for 2.3 percent of India's billion-plus Hindu majority population.
