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Violence in East India


Government authorities unable to stop Hindu nationalists from wreaking havoc

HYDERABAD – August 26, 2008 – In the aftermath of the murder of a Hindu swami by unknown assailants, mobs attacked the Christian community across the eastern state of Orissa. On Monday, a 12 hour strike called by hardliner Hindu nationalist organizations resulted in spreading violence. Media reports and eye witness accounts indicate several Christians were killed and hundreds of Christian properties burnt.

“Local leaders of the All India Christian Councill have lost count of the churches damaged, Christian homes vandalized, and pastors or priests beaten. On August 26, 1910, Mother Teresa was born. Today, exactly 98 years later, we are deeply saddened that her legacy of peace and compassion are being ignored by society in the state of Orissa,” said Dr. Joseph D’souza, President of the All India Christian Council (AICC).

Large numbers of police and Rapid Action Force troops were deployed over the weekend, yet twelve of thirty districts were reportedly affected by the violence. According to reports collected by the aicc, at least five people have died, one nun was raped, and hundreds of churches, Christian homes, Christian non-profit organizations’ offices, and Christian schools were heavily damaged or destroyed.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati was killed during an attack at an ashram in the hills of Kandhamal District, Orissa, on August 23, 2008, Saturday night. The elderly swami spent several decades in the district. He routinely criticized missionaries for conversion activities and sought to “re-convert” tribals and Dalits. Aicc leaders as well as major networks of churches in India, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the Evangelical Fellowship of India, condemned the killing of the swami and called for his attackers to be arrested and punished.

D’souza said, “The Orissa state government must restore order and prevent VHP activists from carrying out attacks and violating the rule of law. Then they must file cases against the perpetrators and push for rapid convictions. Lastly, we need fair and just compensation to victims, and we appeal to the Prime Minister to visit the victims as soon as possible.” Today hardliner Hindu nationalists say they cannot control their followers who are simply unleashing their frustration with unethical missionaries. Police say they cannot put officers in every village to protect Christians. Behind all the excuses, the reality is that there is a complete collapse of governance in Orissa,” said John Dayall, aicc Secretary General and Member of the National Integration Council. “It is the duty of the President and Prime Minister of India – as well as state governments – to protect the life, liberty, and property of every citizen. We hope and pray they will act before more innocent people are killed.”

Yesterday, on Aug. 25, 2008, the aicc appealed in writing to various authorities including the Prime Minister, President, Minister of Home Affairs, and various Orissa state government officials such as the Chief Minister and Home Secretary. A delegation of both Protestant and Catholic Christians met the Minister of Home Affairs, Shivraj V. Patil, yesterday, Monday, evening. He offered federal resources but said he was awaiting the required request from the state government.

Orissa is ruled by a coalition government which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, widely known as a party which embraces the creation of a Hindu homeland. Unlike many other states, Orissa has not set up a state commission for minorities which would investigate discrimination and violence against non-Hindu religious adherents.

From Dec. 24, 2007-Jan. 2, 2008, attacks in Kandhamal district killed at least four Christians and destroyed over 100 churches and 730 Christian homes. Several dozen women were sexually harassed and assaulted, and more than 40 shops belonging to Christians were looted and destroyed. Most of the victims were Dalits, formerly known as untouchables.

India’s National Commission for Minorities issued a report after visiting Orissa on January 6-8, 2008 and again on April 21-24, 2008. They noted that caste-based discrimination played a role as well as an anti-conversion campaign conducted by Hindu extremists which “has aimed to prevent the conversion of tribals and Dalits to Christianity.” They faulted state government officials for not preventing the violence. Aicc leaders issued two reports.

The All India Christian Council birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.

For more information, contact Dr. Sam Paul, aicc Secretary Public Affairs
 

Bubaneshwar (AsiaNews) – A Catholic nun was burnt alive by a group of Hindu fundamentalists who stormed the orphanage she ran in the district of Bargarh (Orissa), this according to Police Superintendent Ashok Biswall. A priest who was at the orphanage was also badly hurt and is now being treated in hospital for multiple burns. Another nun from Bubaneshwar’s Social Centre was gang raped by groups of Hindu extremists before the building housing the facility was set on fire. Sources also told AsiaNews that elsewhere one priest was wounded and two other were abducted. The list of violent anti-Christian acts is thus getting longer.

For the past two days the state of Orissa (north-east India) has been racked by violence following the assassination of radical Hindu leader Swami Laxanananda Saraswati.

Churches, community and pastoral centres, convents and orphanages have been attacked yesterday and today by mobs shouting “Kill the Christians; destroy their institutions.”

Tensions in the state are in fact still running high. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has planned demonstrations for today and tomorrow. Gangs of Hindu fanatics from the VHP as well as Sangh Parivar are roaming roads and villages, setting up road blocks, sending their own members on raids of plunder and violence.

According to firsthand accounts the archdiocese’s social centre was attacked and torched. Before that the attackers raped Sister Meena, a nun working at the centre.

The local pastoral centre, which has escaped destruction in last December’s violence, is now a total wreck. Father Thomas, who ran the facility, is in hospital with serious head injuries.

Speaking to AsiaNews Fr Ajay Singh also said that a nun was burnt alive in an orphanage she ran in the district of Bargarh.

Elsewhere Sisters of Mother Teresa have been attacked by stone-throwing Hindu militants with one seriously injured.

All Christian institutions are now in danger because mobs of Hindu radicals are roaming the streets, breaking down doors and smashing windows, including in some cases Christian homes. Many priests and nuns have had to escape.

In Bubaneshwar Hindu militants stoned the Archbishop’s residence, but did not dare invade the place because of police presence.

In Phulbani the parish church and the home of local clergy were attacked and set on fire. All local priests fled and found refuge in the homes of some of members of the local congregation.

The youth hostel that houses students who study in Phulbani has also been torched.

Some missionaries of Charity who were attending a health course in Brahamanigoan were blocked for hours in the village.

Elsewhere nuns left their convent finding shelter in some school buildings.

Real ugly face of secular india
 



On August 23, 2008, evening immediately after the news of murder of Swami Laxmanada Saraswati spread in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, two Catholic sisters of Precious Blood congregation at Kothaguda who were on their way to Berhampur were stopped near G. Udayagiri and pulled out from the vehicle. The vehicle was then set on fire and the driver was severely beaten. Almost at the same time, a vehicle carrying HM sisters near Ainthapally in Sambalpur and a prayer chapel at Tentuliapadar in Sundargarh was also burned and destroyed. The stories of violence, abuse, and attacks i n the following hours continue with several churches, church institutions, priests, nuns, Christian people and their houses being attacked, abused, ransacked, and torched.

As the impact of the news started becoming visible across the state, the government took action by announcing prohibitory orders which stop large gatherings of people (Section 144 of Indian Penal Code) in Kandhamal district. This was also a preparatory action by the state government ahead of the 12-hour bandh called by the VHP (World Hindu Council) and other affiliates of the Sangh Parivar on 25th august to protest the killing.

[Editor's note: this account from a Catholic office primarily tracks incidents inflicted on Catholic people and facilities. We are collating reports from ministries, stories in the press, eye witness accounts from aicc leaders, and more. View the developing list at: ]christiancouncil.in - Are some people poor by choice?

On Sunday morning August 24, 2008, prayers in many churches were disrupted with very few participants attending because they feared attacks.

On the same day, attacks in Kandhamal district intensified. The Jan Vikas office, like many other offices, was burnt to ashes during the violence in December 2007. Jan Vikas is a social wing of the Archdiocese of Cuttack Bhubaneswar and works towards empowerment of the most marginalised in the districts. A mob attacked, ransacked the office, and set fire to three four wheelers, six motor cycles, all the important records and documentation of the organisation, and office equipment. This incident took place at 5.30 in the evening.

After this, the mob continued their assaults at Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre by gutting, burning, and looting the facility at about 6 p.m. The same group entered the Baliguda presbytery, convent, and hostel and damaged the properties.

In similar attacks, the Roman Catholic Church at Kanjamedi was attacked and vandalized at 6.30 p.m. The Diocesan Church at Kanjamedi was ransacked and three Pentecostals churches were destroyed in the same way at 6.45 p.m. by the same group. In the late evening, about 12 Dalit Christian shops were burnt in Raikia.

On August 25, 2008, as the Bandh (strike) led to many protests, rastha rokos (road blocking), tyre burning etc., the following incidents of violence shook the whole state and the Christian community. At 7.00 a.m., Phulbani Church and presbytery were vandalized and ransacked. Srasanda MC Brother's residence was attacked and the patients who came there to get treatment were beaten. The VHP activists continued to burn houses and household articles of Christian families in the area. Eight houses were completely destroyed in this incident.

On the same day at 10.30 a.m., houses of Christian families in Christiansahi in Balliguda were destroyed and ransacked. The details of damage and the numbers are not available as yet. In a similar incident houses in Nuasahi were set on fire destroying the whole street where Christian families lived. This incident took place at 11.30 a.m.

Two boys studying in the church run hostel were caught in Baliguda and their heads were tonsured.

In the afternoon at about 1.00 p.m., Mr. Jamaj Parichha's house was attacked and his vehicles were set ablaze, doors were cut into pieces, and he was beaten by the mob. He sustained a severe head injury and is hospitalised (place is not disclosed because of the security reasons). It is said that he is one of the primary targets of the Hindutva forces in the area. His wife, being a Hindu, pleaded with the mob to spare him and even showed that she practices Hinduism. But they showed no mercy and continued beating him and said, "He is a Christian and we will kill him".


As this incident happened, houses of the staff of Jan Vikas (Diocesan organisation under the Arch Diocese of Cuttack- Bhubaneswar) were also burnt. Five staff are directly affected by this violence and all of them fled their villages and went into hiding.

In a very similar way, at 2 p.m. the house of Mr. Puren Nayak resident of Bhudansahi was attacked and burnt into ashes. All his assets were removed from the house and were set on fire in a pile. As the violence continued in the village, a mob ransacked the Christian houses and burnt all their belongings. The women (Hindu) in the community were identifying the houses to be burnt down as the mob followed their instructions. Women also supplied kerosene to encourage the mob.

We have observed that in such incidents of burning and ransacking, the strategy used by the mob is very similar. The household articles and assets are brought outside the house and are set on fire. This is because, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 436, the person/persons involved in burning the house are punishable with 7 years+ of rigorous imprisonment and this falls under the category of a non-bailable offence. And when the assets/belongings are brought outside the house and burnt, it's a bailable offense and the punishment is limited to 6 months to one year of imprisonment. This offense falls under IPC 435.

Fr. Challan, Director of Pastoral centre, Kanjamendi and Sr. Meena, administrator of the centre which was burnt and ransacked on 24th, escaped from the centre to hide in Mr. Jashawanta Pradhan's house. On the 25th, a mob found them and forcefully entered the house dragging both of them outside. They were beaten badly and taken to the police fundi (smaller unit of police station) in the area. It is reported that they were tied up in the fundi and were threatened with being burnt alive. There is no update about their condition since then.

Paul Pradhan, who runs an NGO in the district and works for the rights of dalits and adivasis, was also attacked and his house and office was destroyed completely.

It is also reported that most of the Christian houses in Tikkabali block were attacked and set fire. Numbers are still unknown.

One person named Vikram Nayak was cut into pieces at Tiagian under G. Udaygiri police station. Another two people sustained injuries and since no medical facilities were available, it is reported that both persons died. In Tiangia village under the same police station limits, houses of Christian families were set on fire and people have fled to jungle. It was reported that the miscreants have been following them and were attacking.

On 25th late night, Sankrakhol Parish church and presbytery were set fire and ransacked, the parish priest Fr. Alexandar Chandi fled to the forest and he was saved. It is reported that most of the assets are set on fire and the church is completely destroyed.

Fr. Bernard Digal who had gone to visit Fr. Alexandar Chandi was held up in Sankrakhol parish when the mob attacked the church. His Marshal Jeep was set fire. While narrating the incident, Fr.Bernard said that when the mob entered the church premise the staff fled to the forest and hid themselves. They were safe but the vehicle was set afire. He walked around 10 km to reach one of his relatives house. As he was walking, the attackers saw him but did not recognise him.

On 25th August late night, the Convent of St. Joseph's at Sankrakhole was attacked and ransacked. The sisters also left to the forest and have saved their lives.

On 25th August 2008, Mr. Abenswar Digal's house was set on fire, under Tikabali Police station.

On 25th August 2008, at about 11.00 p.m., 23 houses of Gumagarh, under Bisipadsad Police station were attacked and ransacked.

In Raikia, attacks were occuring as of 11.30 p.m. and the nature of the damage is yet to be known. As per a first information report, on 25th August late evening at Raikia 17 Christian houses were ransacked. Most of the house articles and assets were removed from the houses and gathered outside and set afire. As per the first hand report, the victims identified were Mr. Bijay Parichha, Mr. R.K.Nayak, Mr. Joseph Nayak, Mr. Susant Dal Behera, Mr. Santosh Nayak, Mr. Santun Nayak, Mr. Harihar Das, Mr. Mosesh Nayak, Mr. Prakash Nayak, Mr. Raju Parichha and others.

On 25th August 2008 late night, The Ambassadar vehicle of Mr. Sukant Nayak, Director Shahara (NGO), was set fire.

On 25th August 2008 late night, the Office of Karuna (NGO), under Raikia Police station was ransacked.

On 25th afternoon, the Pentecostal church at Budamaha, under Raikia Police station was vandalized and ransacked.

On 25th August 2008, Masadkia church was vandalized and ransacked.

On 25th August 2008, two Pentecostal churches were vandalized and ransacked.

On 25th August 2008, Pisermaha Church, under Raikia Police station was vandalized and ransacked.

On 25th August 2008, a Baptist church and Catholic Church at Mondakia under Raikia Police station was vandalized and ransacked.

On 25th August 2008, Mdahupanga Church, under Raikia Police station was vandalized and ransacked.

As the violence continues, most of the parish priests and sisters are still not reachable and their conditions are not known. The houses are being burnt in several places in Phulbani, Srasanada, Pobingia, Balliguda and Konjamendi.

In Bhubaneswar, the impact of the Bandh (strike) was also felt severely by people with most of the offices being closed, and shops stayed closed as well. Transportation was totally disrupted and tyres were burnt in many places across the city. There were huge rallies by the supporters of VHP and Bajrang Dal on the main roads and junctions.

There were also some cases of attacks reported within the city and most of these attacks were on churches and church-related institutions. From early morning of the 25th onwards, violent mobs made several attempts to enter the compound of the Catholic Church and Archbishop's house in the city. Policemen deployed at the scene disbursed the mob and stopped them from entering the campus. An angry mob threw stones at the guest house of Archbishop's House damaging some window panes.

Another group of fundamentalists entered presbytery in Duburi parish, managed by the SVDs and destroyed and damaged property. Two priests of the parish, Fr. Xavier and Fr. Simon, are missing and their whereabouts are yet to be known. Institutions like St. Arnold's School
(Kalinga Bihar) NISWASS have suffered some damage while one Baptist Church in Akamra Jila in the city was also damaged.

The situation seems to be very serious and worsening every hour with violence being intensified. From across the districts, people are trying to flee to the safer places. But nothing seems be safe as of now. The violence can turn more intense as the people return after the Swami's cremation.

Other events that took place in Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput and other south Orissa districts left Christians and Christian institutions throughout the state fearful. Father Obed Khura of Sunebeda received three threatening calls. While he approached the Sunebeda OIC, he was refused police protection and was sent back with assurance that the school he runs will not be attacked and was instructed to stay away from the school.

In Muniguda (closer to Tumudibandha, Rayagada district), as the mass was coming to an end two jeep loads of youth from the town entered the compound and started shouting slogans. The police arrived on time and prevented the situation from escalating. Three policemen have been deployed at the gate which has been destroyed. The Church and Convent at Muniguda could not be saved.

Around 80 people under the leadership of Fr. Pius Ekka and Sr. Marina Chacko have taken refuge in the forest. This happened in spite of the fact that Fr. Marshal Mihir Upasi was constantly in touch with the State Control Office of the Orissa Police and the SP of Rayagada. The mob first torched the police Jeep in Muniguda and then proceeded to the Convent and Church. On the previous day (24th of August) the mob threatened the Fathers after Sunday Mass. The mob sought out the houses holding Christian families and managed to destroy some of them. As a consequence of allowing refuge to families, this has placed others at risk.

As the mob moved on from Bhairaguda, 3 km away from Muniguda to seek shelter in a school while raining, the villagers from the Hindu community fed them. This took place at 7.20 p.m.

Expecting an attack, Fr. Manickthan, Bhawanipatna asked for protection and the SP expressed his inability to do anything due to the size of the mob. When Father suggested the SP should announce a curfew in the area and stop the mob's movement, the angry SP retorted saying that Fr. Need should not give orders to him. Later in the day, both the ADM and the SP visited the Church compound and inspected the law and order situation.

The Malankara hostel was attacked in Bhawanipatna, not far from the Catholic Church, and many children have been badly hurt.

Missionaries of Charity from Dharmagarh, unaware of the events from the previous night, were travelling to Bhawanipatna for Sunday Mass. Near the jail in Bhawanipatna town their ambulance was intercepted and pelted with stones. All the sisters sustained minor injuries from the stones and broken glass. The police arrived and sent them back in the same damaged vehicle to Dharmagarh. Sr. Suma and Sr. Nirmala have been informed of this and the district administration has assured them protection.

A group of police are guarding the Church in Jeypore after the threat of attacks. The police informed Fr. Bimol Nayak that some 200 people are preparing to attack the Church. Fr. Bimol Nayak and another Brother have taken shelter with nearby friends. Around 24 policemen are guarding the church compound in Mohana after road blocks started on Sunday evening. Additionally, a group of 9 policemen are safeguarding the Church in Goudogotho and the Cathedral.

It is also reported that the Lutheran Churches in Malkangiri, Padua, and Gunupur were destroyed. Fathers and Sisters along with the children in Gumuda have left the mission stations fearing attacks. On the 24th, as the congregation was coming out of the Church in Malkangiri, a group of angry youth harassed them and forced them to recite Bande Mataram. 22 Christian families of Shanti Nagar (Givindapur) at the foothill of Taptapani Hot Springs were also assaulted and forced to leave the village.

In Boudh also, a group of protestors entered the parish and destroyed property. Communal tension was high also in other districts across the state with several incidents of attacks against the people as well as property. In Balasore, Balsore Social Service Society (official social wing of the Balasore diocese) was attacked three times during the day on 25th august. The mob, shouting slogans, broke all the window panes and destroyed a statue of Mother Mary which was installed in the BSSS office campus. Badrak also had few incidents of attacks but the details are not known.

Hindu protestors attacked Jyoti Niketan of Baipariguda in Koraput district in the afternoon of 25th August. Father Joy Areeckal had to run into the forest and the hostel children and his social workers were subjected to insults and intimidation. The Mission has been destroyed along with all that it contained. A sad twist to the story is that the police, along with the people, seized wooden planks and said it was illegally harvested trees. This is in spite of the fact that the carpenters who are building a new hostel building in the campus admitted that it was their property. Consequently, a criminal case may be filed against Fr. Areeckal under the Forest Act.

Mr. Routo Desinayak and Ms. Kalyani, who works for an agro-entrepreneurship program for SWAD at Boipariguda were also arrested under the Forest Protection Act. Although the Police Officer and the Block Development Officer were not willing, the mob forced the police to tie Mr. Desinayak with a rope and drag him through the street to the Forest Office. Miss Kalyani, being a woman, was spared of this ordeal. Fr. Thomas Chelan and a Sister (name could not be obtained) who were manhandled and humiliated by the mob have been kept in police custody on the pretext of giving them security since the morning of August 25th.

In Govindapally, close to Boipariguda, protestors entered the Convent and damaged the grotto of Our Lady and the Cross of the Church yard. In the same district, Fathers and Sisters in Koraput, Jeypore and Semiliguda are in hiding.

In Bargarh district, a mob of about 2,000 people ransacked many church institutions and there were serious attacks on priests and nuns. In Padampur, Fr. Edward Sequira was attacked and beaten brutally. He survived with a serious head injury but is still unconscious.

"His life is critical still", said Fr. Alphonse Toppo, Vicar Gerneral of Sambalpur diocese. The institution, which caters to children affected by leprosy, was attacked and burnt. While the institution burnt to ashes, the auxiliary nurse, Rajani Majhi, 20 years old, was also burned alive. She took care of the children in the institute and was studying in Padampur Women's College.

Sundargarh also saw many such incidents of church burning and attacks on church properties and damages are yet to be ascertained.

In Sambalpur district, a Hand Maid Sister's residence of Ainthapalli has suffered damage while priests were given warnings of attacks in Madhupur, Badibahal area. Stone pelting and breaking of window panes of churches and related institutions was a common scene across the state.

A Roman Catholic cemetery was damaged by an irate mob in Sambalpur town. The mob also pelted the stones at the Oriya Baptist Church near G.M. College. Burning of motorbike belonging to a pastor Pravakar Munna, ransacking of a prayer house in Chiplima, and a attempt to attack a mission institution were also reported.

In continuation to all this violence across the state, Dibyasingh Pariccha, PRO and Secretary, Justice and Peace Commission (Arch diocese of Cuttack Bhubaneswar) has condemned the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and appealed for a CBI enquiry into the incident. He requested that culprits responsible for the incident be punished instead of attacking the whole Christian community.

He appealed to the government to deploy adequate forces to safeguard life and property of Christian people.

On 26th August 2008, at about 11.30 a.m. the mob was attacking at Badimunda Village, under Tikabali police station in Kandhamal District. It is repoted Ra oman Catholic Church and 5 individual houses were set on fire.

It is reported that people are suffering with outfood, clothes, and shelter. Last night, there was heavy rain and people were in the forest with wet clothes. However, the condition of the children and women were indescribable. School children are deprived of their studies.

Kindly pray for us so that peace and harmony may return soon. Thank you very much for your solidarity.

Compiled by Dibkar P.
All India Christian Council Media Secretary, Orissa Chapter
 
Kindly pray for us so that peace and harmony may return soon. Thank you very much for your solidarity.
Compiled by Dibkar P.
All India Christian Council Media Secretary, Orissa Chapter

Thank you Jinnah for making Pakistan possible & for not making us a minority in ugly so called secular union... One of the many reasons why i love Pakistan :pakistan:
 
Thank you Jinnah for making Pakistan possible & for not making us a minority in ugly so called secular union... One of the many reasons why i love Pakistan :pakistan:


Duh!!

Because you are a majority there?

If everybody had Jinnah's way... the world would be one big tribal orgy.
 
Thank you Jinnah for making Pakistan possible & for not making us a minority in ugly so called secular union... One of the many reasons why i love Pakistan :pakistan:

You don't even live in Pakistan. Not surprising.
 
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.
Where knowledge is free.
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls.
Where words come out from the depth of truth.
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
Into ever-widening thought and action.
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country


Rabindranath Tagore
 
Source: NDTV.com: Shoot-at-sight in Kandhmal, 20 killed in clashes
Sampad Mahapatra
Thursday, August 28, 2008, (Bhubaneshwar)


There are shoot-at-sight orders in the Kandhmal district of Orissa where 20 people have been killed in communal clashes.

The trouble began after the murder of senior VHP leader Swami Lakhsmanada Saraswati. What followed were assaults on churches and Christians across the district including a young woman who was burnt alive.

In Phulbani, which is predominantly Hindu there is a sense of rage and helplessness.

Home Minister of State Sri Prakash Jaiswal's visit to the area was cancelled at the last minute. Instead he spoke to reporters in the Bhubaneshwar.

"From whatever reports I've got the situation is not under control. But the State Government has assured that it will soon improve," said Sriprakash Jaiswal, MoS for Home.

But Kandhmal which has been consumed by communal hatred for the last 20 years needs more.

The tribal kandhs and dalits in the area most of whom are Christians are at loggerheads over the Christian dalits' demand to get the Scheduled Tribe status.

The murder of Swami Laxmanand Saraswati on Saturday had only added fuel to the fire. Two people have been arrested, 7 others are being interrogated.

"The State Govt is saying that Maoists have killed him. But that is not true," said G P Rath, Secretary, VHP, Orissa.

The BJD-BJP government in Orissa finds itself in a trap. In an election year it can hardly act tough against the majority Hindus nor can it abdicate its constitutional responsibility of protecting the minorities.
 
when will terrorists VHP, RSS Bajrangdal stop their attrocities against Muslims, poor Dalits and now Christians ???
 
Duh!!

Because you are a majority there?

If everybody had Jinnah's way... the world would be one big tribal orgy.

India is Gandhi's way right so why the Christians are burnt alive in India by Hindu Fanatics????


Where is secularizm when dalits are killed for converting to othe faiths???
 
Thank goodness the government is acting tough. This nonsense needs to be stopped.

There should be a public meeting between the Hindu leaders and Christian leaders in the state and an agreement should be made regarding each other's activities.
 
wonder if shoot at site will only be aimed at Christians or also at terrorists of VHP also ???


BTW why there should be an agreement regarding the activitihs of the two communities.

What do you mean by activities???
 
wonder if shoot at site will only be aimed at Christians or also at terrorists of VHP also ???

I don't know....why don't you find out? Journalist, aren;t you?

BTW why there should be an agreement regarding the activitihs of the two communities.

What do you mean by activities???

Conversions, re conversions, and politics.

The Hindu leader was murdered, which started the whole episode in the first place.
 
India clashes denounced by Pope​

Source: BBC NEWS | South Asia | India clashes denounced by Pope

The Pope has condemned deadly violence between Hindus and Christians in India's eastern Orissa state, which has claimed at least 11 lives.

During his weekly Vatican address, Pope Benedict XVI said he was "profoundly saddened" and called for communities to try to restore "peaceful coexistence".

The killing of a Hindu leader on Saturday sparked the violence.

Christians have suffered retaliatory attacks, despite police saying Maoist rebels were to blame for the killing.

"I firmly condemn any attack on human life," Pope Benedict told a crowd of pilgrims on Wednesday.

"I express spiritual closeness and solidarity to the brothers and sisters in faith who are being so harshly tested."

He labelled the death of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati as "deplorable".

He was shot along with four others in an attack in the Kandhamal district of Orissa.

Police said Maoist rebels were responsible, but the attack has led to days of rioting between Hindu and Christian communities.

Hindu mobs have burnt down monasteries, churches and an orphanage run by Christians.

Among those killed was a Hindu woman who was working at the orphanage, in the village of Barakhama.

Arson and burning of Christian religious places has continued in Kandhamal, despite a curfew in all major towns.

Three bodies were discovered early on Wednesday in the district, bringing the death toll to 11 since Saturday.

Police have now been ordered to shoot rioters on sight.
 
I don't know....why don't you find out? Journalist, aren;t you?.

ah iam a journalist not terrorist from VHP., RSS ;)



Conversions, re conversions, and politics.

The Hindu leader was murdered, which started the whole episode in the first place.


The activities of conversion and re-conversion need not any agreement till the time it is not forced.
 

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