Police have arrested 23 persons in connection with the recent incidents of attacks on Christian prayer houses and a priest in Kandhamal district, official sources said. While 12 people were arrested in connection with the assault on Lameswar Kanhar, a priest at a church at Betikolar village and his cook on Monday last, 11 others were arrested for their alleged involvement in the attacks on four prayer houses in Baliguda sub-division of the district in the first week of this month. The priest and his cook were assaulted by a group of people following an altercation between them over forcible grazing of cows inside the church premises where vegetables were grown. Armed policemen had been deployed near the church as a precautionary measure. The series of incidents had contributed to the escalation of tension in the district. Two prayer houses, one each belonging to the Roman Catholics and Baptists, were vandalised at Sindhipankala village and another place of worship attacked at Lankagarh on October three last. A prayer house at Ramgiri village was attacked on October four night. Bail petitions of all the 23 arrested had been rejected by the sub-divisional judicial magistrate and they were remanded to judicial custody. Bureau Report