Displaced
Christians survive bomb
blasts as violence
continues in Kandhamal
district.
By
Vishal Arora
NEW
DELHI,
A
Christian couple was
found murdered, a woman
killed, numerous houses
and churches burned and
low-intensity bombs
exploded at relief camps
in the past week in
Orissa state’s Kandhamal
district, where Hindu
extremist violence began
more than a month ago.
On Sunday
(Sept. 28), police found
the body of Priyatamma
Digal, an auxiliary
nurse and midwife, in a
river. On Monday, the
body of her husband,
Meghanath, was
recovered. According to
The Times of India
newspaper, the
Christian couple was
killed last Thursday
(Sept. 25).
This
morning attacks by
unidentified armed
groups in the villages
of Rudangia, Telingia
and Gadaguda in
Kandhamal resulted in
more than 100 houses
burned and the death of
Ramani Nayak of Rudangia
village, reported The
Hindu. Her religious
affiliation was not
known at press time.
Eight
people were seriously
injured in the attacks,
according to reports,
and about 20 people
received minor
injuries.
Bomb
blasts yesterday rocked
three Kandhamal relief
camps in the Nuagaon
area, Mahasinghi village
and Baliguda town,
reported the Press Trust
of India (PTI).
No
casualties were
reported, but the
explosions left
residents of the relief
camps fearing for their
lives.
“Since
they have been
successful in exploding
bombs near the heavily
guarded relief camp,
there is no guarantee
that the explosions will
not take place in other
camps,” one refugee told
PTI.
Axe
Attack
The
Times of India
also reported that five
houses were torched in
Phirigia block in
Kandhamal (Gochhapada
police jurisdiction) on
Sunday night.
Last
Thursday (Sept. 25),
some 700 people armed
with axes, swords, and
iron bars attacked a
Missionaries of Charity
house in Sukananda
village in Kandhamal,
reported Asia News
agency.
“There
was no one at home,
because when the
violence erupted against
the Christians, we took
our few belongings and
moved to our house in
Bhubaneswar,” Sister M.
Suma told the agency.
“We brought with us the
tabernacle, the altar,
and especially the Dalit
and tribal girls whom we
were sheltering.”
Late on
Wednesday (Sept. 24),
mobs burned about 30
houses and two prayer
houses in Simanjodi
village and 50 houses in
Batingia village,
reported The Indian
Express newspaper.
In
Rakingia village, an
Orissa Disaster Rapid
Action Force (ODRAF)
team that had gone to
clear roadblocks was
attacked, forcing the
accompanying police to
open fire, added the
newspaper.
“Two
tribal people have
reportedly been killed,”
the daily reported.
“Sources said tribals
with bows and arrows
launched an attack on
the ODRAF.”
According
to the All India
Christian Council (AICC),
at least 57 people have
been killed, more than
18,000 injured and over
4,300 houses, 150
churches and 13
educational institutions
destroyed since the Aug.
24 outbreak of violence
in Orissa. Two Christian
women were also
gang-raped.
The
violence, which later
spread to at least 14
districts of Orissa, has
left more than 50,000
people homeless.
The
attacks began following
the killing of a leader
of the Hindu extremist
Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(World Hindu Council
or VHP), Laxmanananda
Saraswati, and four of
his disciples on Aug. 23
in Kandhamal district.
Maoists have claimed
responsibility for the
assassination, but the
VHP has persisted in
blaming local
Christians.
According
to media reports,
Christians in Orissa
retaliated in at least
one incident. A man was
killed in Raikia Block
after “Dalit Christians
of Gundhari village
hurled bombs at the
tribal-dominated village
of Sirsapanga in the
afternoon [of Sept.
24),” The Indian
Express reported.
“Sources said the
deceased, Raghav Digal,
a Dalit Hindu, was a
government employee.”
‘Withdraw Federal
Forces’
The
leader of an influential
tribal group believed to
be instigating violence
in Kandhamal demanded
withdrawal of federal
security personnel from
the district as a
“precondition” to
stopping the attacks.
Yesterday
Lambodar Kanhar,
secretary of the
Kandhamal Zilla Kui
Samaj (Kui people group)
Coordination Committee,
was quoted by The
Indian Express as
saying that he was ready
to give assurance that
tribal people would not
resort to violence if
the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF)
personnel were taken out
of the rural pockets of
the district.
Kanhar
accused the CRPF of
having let loose “a
reign of terror” on
“innocent” tribal
villagers.
The
Global Council of Indian
Christians’ Dr. Sajan K.
George said Kanhar’s
demand was an attempt
to
“complete
‘ethnic-cleansing’
of Christians.” A
representative of the
Christian Legal
Association said Hindu
extremist assailants
were upset that federal
forces were trying to
prevent them from
attacking Christians and
their property.
At the
same time, European
Union (EU)
representatives
yesterday spoke to
Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh during
the India-EU summit in
France about the
government’s failure to
prevent a “massacre” of
Christians in Orissa and
Karnataka states.
According
to the AICC, in the
southern state of
Karnataka at least 19
churches and 20
Christians have been
attacked. At least four
churches and four
Christian schools had
been vandalized in the
north-central state of
Madhya Pradesh, and four
churches attacked in the
southern state of
Kerala. Two churches had
also been damaged in the
national capital, Delhi.
Singh
yesterday made
assurances that attacks
on Christians would be
stopped.
Christians from various
denominations, along
with people from other
faiths, are holding a
weeklong sit-in day and
night at Jantar Mantar
observatory in New Delhi
that began on Friday
(Sept. 26) to protest
the lack of security.
The demonstration
demanding protection for
minority targets in
Orissa and other states
will conclude with a
motorbike rally on
Thursday (Oct 2).
Christian
leaders such as Dr. John
Dayal, the Rev. Dr.
Richard Howell, A.C.
Michael and Jenis
Francis are
participating in the
protest.
