BHUBANESWAR (India) Feb 2: One of the men accused of the brutal murder of an Australian Christian missionary and his two children on Saturday confessed to starting the fire in which they were burnt alive because he was angry about forced conversions of Hindus.

In a crime that shocked India, Graham Staines and his sons, Philip, aged eight, and Timothy, 10, were killed when a mob, allegedly shouting anti-Christian slogans, set fire to their jeep after dousing it in petrol on January 23, 1999.

Staines and his two children were travelling from their home town of Baripada to Keonjhar in the eastern state of Orissa and had made an overnight stop at the village of Manohapur village. They were sleeping in the car because of cold weather.

The three tried to escape the fire but a 50-strong mob armed with axes, allegedly prevented them from escaping from the jeep and watched as they burned to death.

A group of villagers who tried to save them were also attacked by the crowd.

The gory incident highlighted tensions between Hindus and Christians. Other missionaries blamed right-wing Hindus for the murder.—AFP