NEW DELHI At least 60 Christians have been killed over the past two months in eastern India in a brutal backlash to the murder of a revered Hindu holy man, a national bishops body said Friday.

The figure is nearly double the official toll of 35 given by government authorities in the eastern state of Orissa. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India said scores of Christians were still fleeing their homes in Orissa and called for action to stem the religious violence in the states troubled Kandhamal district.

'Christians are afraid to return to their villages as threats of death have forced many of them to flee to the forest or live in dehumanising conditions,' the organisation said. 'The fear that has driven thousands into the forests for shelter and safety is a living reproach to those who should provide safety and security and not leave the law and order situation to mob rule,' the organisation added.

The comments came less than a week after Pope Benedict XVI renewed his condemnation of attacks on Indian Christians. The bishops group also demanded a federal probe into the rape of a Catholic nun in Kandhamal, the epicentre of the violence.

According to AFP, there was no immediate reaction to the figures from Orissa state government officials. The Orissa government, administered by a political party aligned to Indias main Hindu nationalist grouping, says it has deployed enough troops to quell the violence.