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Violence in East India


Aug 27,2008
Times Online UK

The Vatican has condemned the burning to death of a Christian orphanage worker in eastern India by Hindu extremists. The murder of the 21-year-old woman was part of a wave of anti-Christian rioting that has now claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern state of Orissa.

The violence was triggered by the death on Saturday of Swami Lakhmananda Saraswati, a prominent Hindu leader. He and four others were shot by suspected Maoist militants, according to police.

Followers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the extremist group for which Saraswati was a figurehead, retaliated through attacks on scores of Christian targets, including murders, rapes and the destruction of dozens of churches, locals say.

Saraswati had been at the forefront of a campaign to prevent low-caste Hindus and tribal villagers from converting to Christianity. The riots took place after claims by Hindu hardliners that "Christian militants" were behind his death.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, a senior Vatican official, called the attacks on Christian targets "a sin against God and humanity". He added: "Certainly religion cannot be invoked for crimes of this type."

In an official statement the Vatican said it "expresses its solidarity with local Churches and the religious orders involved, and condemns these actions, which are an affront to dignity, peoples' freedom, and endanger peaceful civil coexistence."

It also condemned the killing of Saraswati.

The Rome-based Italian missionary agency Misna said that it had received reports that two Jesuit priests had been abducted in the area but had no further details.

The Orissa state authorities tried to calm the violence on Tuesday by imposing a region-wide curfew. After the crackdown was widely violated "shoot-on-sight orders" were issued, according to Satyabrata Sahu, the district administrator.

However, local Christian leaders say that their communities remain in danger.

Dr Joseph D'souza, President of the All India Christian Council, said: "The current number and distribution of security forces in Orissa is nothing like enough to deal with the problem.

"We appeal to the international community to raise their voices to bring peace in an area where more people will die unless something is done urgently."

Orissa has a dark history of inter-religious unrest, often triggered by Hindu suspicion of Christian missionaries.

Saraswati and his followers were widely implicated in the anti-Christian violence that blighted the Kandhamal district of the state over the Christmas of 2007 in which 95 churches were razed and several people killed. The chapter, said to have been triggered by an alleged assault on Saraswati, was branded the worst anti-Christian violence in India since Independence.
 

28 Aug 2008

NEW DELHI (ICNS): In the continuing violence in Orissa, more churches and Christians houses are attacked on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 14 in the four days of hostility that began on Monday.

“The situation in Kandhamal District and other parts of Orissa continues to be tense and the Christians in the State are living in fear and anxiety,” a statement from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) said late on Wednesday.

It said “law enforcing agencies have not been able to contain the violent elements that are still at large. The violent mob is destroying churches, orphanages, hostels of children, Convents of the religious women and the houses of Christian families.

“There appears a sense of helplessness among the Christian community that has borne the brunt of the communal frenzy created by some fundamentalist organizations,” the statement said.

The CBCI has condemned the brutal murder of Swami Lakshmanand and had clearly denied any role of Christians in his murder but it seems that the fundamentalists are taking advantage of the situation and attacking Christians, the statement said.

In a circular to the Catholic Bishops of India on August 26, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, President of CBCI has urged all the Catholic Educational Institutions to be closed on August 29 to show solidarity with the victims of violence in Orissa and observe September 7 as the day of prayer and fast.

A CBCI delegation led by Archbishop Vincent called on Jaswant Singh, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha on Aug. 26 and briefed him about the latest development and the concerns of the Christian community in Orissa.

Meanwhile, Delhi Catholic Archdiocese has begun a 48 hour Dharna (Peaceful Protest) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi from August 27 till August 29. Archbishop Vincent Concessao along with other dignitaries participated in the protest Dharna.

A Christian delegation is also planning to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Aug. 28 requesting him to send army to Orissa to check the continuing vio

Govt does not seem to be interested in controlling the situation. Finally the whole world has seen the face of secular india...
 
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More churches, homes burnt as trouble spreads in Orissa

Indo-Asian News Service
Bhubaneswar, August 28, 2008
First Published: 12:29 IST(28/8/2008)
Last Updated: 13:46 IST(28/8/2008)

Print


Communal violence spread in Orissa on Thursday with fresh incidents of mobs burning churches and homes, adding to the tensions in the state that has seen at least 11 people being killed in revenge for the murder of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader last week.


The situation was so volatile that Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal and other Congress leaders, who arrived in Bhubaneswar to visit riot hit areas, were told by the state government that they could not do so and returned to New Delhi.

Though the volatile Kandhamal district continued to be the worst hit with mobs defying curfew, blocking roads and attacking churches even after shoot-at-sight orders, there were reports of churches and homes being attacked from other parts of the state too.

Police said trouble had spread to new areas, including the western district of Bolangir and the coastal district of Kendrapada.

No details were available but officials said curfew had been clamped in Kendrapada town and security intensified in Bolangir.

"There have been stray incidents of violence in Kandhamal. We have also received reports of people burning a church in the district of Bolangir," said Director General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda, adding that more than 3,000 policemen had been deployed.

"We are hopeful normalcy would return in a week," Nanda told IANS while describing the situation as "under control".

Police have registered at least 70 cases in different police stations related to the communal violence and 54 people have been arrested, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed the state assembly.

The state has been on the boil since Saturday evening when Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a member of the VHP's central advisory committee, and four others were killed by suspected Maoist guerrillas at his Jalespata ashram in Kandhamal.

As violence raged in Kandhamal, particularly in isolated hamlets, despite orders to the police to shoot at sight anybody defying curfew and indulging in violence, police and paramilitary forces marched through several town on Thursday.

Curfew has been clamped in all towns of the district and is still in force, said revenue divisional commissioner Satyabrata Sahu.

On Monday, the VHP had called for a statewide shutdown. Since then, 11 people have been killed in the state, 10 in Kandhamal and a woman in Bargarh district who was burnt when the crowds attacked an orphanage. Local newspapers and television channels, however, put the toll at 17.

Saraswati was leading a campaign against cow slaughter and religious conversion in the communally sensitive Kandhamal district - which with a population of around 600,000 including 150,000 Christians has witnessed numerous clashes between Hindus and Christians in the past.

Radical Hindu groups in the state blamed Christians for the crime and alleged that Christians killed Saraswati because he was opposing religious conversion. Christian organisations deny these allegations.

More churches, homes burnt as trouble spreads in Orissa- Hindustan Times
 
If one totals the deaths over the last couple of days of Christians, then one would need to call it terrorism, rather than "communcal rioting".
 
The violence is going to get worse before it gets better. Expect more riots, and more killings as poor tribes fight over scarce resources.

As Naipaul put it, India has a "Million Mutinies Now".

The old order has broken down. It will take a long time for civil society to re-establish itself on new principles.
 
IMC-USA expresses alarm at anti-Christian violence in Orissa; demands the State and Central governments to act immediately

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
28 August 2008

Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA), an advocacy group working toward safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, denounces in the strongest terms, the ongoing massacre of Christians and the killing of the Hindutva leader in the Indian state of Orissa.

According to news reports, dozens of Christians have been killed, hundreds injured and many torched alive by mercenaries belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and other Hindu supremacist groups. Reports from the ground also indicate that hundreds of churches have been destroyed and thousands of Christians had to flee into the jungle to avoid massacre.

“This is nothing but a repeat of the 2002 Gujarat carnage, only this time the target is the Christian minority” said IMC-USA President Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, commenting on the violence. “If the state government, which is in alliance with the BJP, cannot maintain law and order and save the lives and property of its citizens, the Central government should impose president’s rule and send the armed forces to stop the pogroms.” he further added.

The latest violence against the Christians started after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others by suspected Maoists. Rasheed Ahmed, deplored the incident saying: “Killing is a heinous crime irrespective of who the victim or perpetrator is”. Laxmanananda Saraswati was at the forefront of anti-Christian campaigns and was reported to be behind the widespread destruction of properties during the ‘Black Christmas’ in 2007.

Orchestrated pogroms against religious minorities by Hindu nationalist groups have become a regular feature of Indian politics in recent years. Often these pogroms occur in Hindu nationalist (BJP) ruled states which extend police protection and impunity to the rampaging Hindutva activists perpetrating the violence.

Indian Muslim Council-USA is the largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with 10 chapters across the nation.

CONTACT:
Syed Ali Rahman
phone/fax:1-800-839-7270
email: media@imc-usa.org

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US-based Indian groups condemn communal violence in Orissa

29 Aug 2008, 0832 hrs IST,PTI


NEW YORK: US-based Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) has strongly condemned the on-going communal violence in Orissa and called upon both State and Central governments to do all in their power to restore the order immediately.

"Violence, for whatever reasons, is not acceptable and it is reprehensible for people to take law unto their own hands and engage in dastardly acts," said Surinder Malhotra, President of INOC.

"We also condemn the killing of Swami Saraswati and four associates during the attack on the VHP Ashram in Kandahamal District of Orissa," he added.


"We are witnessing a total failure of the Government machinery headed by BJD-BJP combined to protect the innocent citizens of the state where extremists are wreaking havoc killing people, destroying institutions and challenging the very pluralistic fabric of the nation," said George Abraham, General Secretary of INOC.

"Unless the Government quickly quells the violence, brings the culprits to justice and rehabilitates the victims fast, our global image of an emerging power will suffer," he added.

In a separate statement, NRIs for a Secular and Harmonious India President Saeed Patel has also condemned the violence against innocent civilians.

Several Indian Muslim leaders signed the statement which expressed support for the demand of Catholic Bishop Conference in India asking government to deploy armed forces in the state and bring it under the President's rule.

"We urge the government of India to uphold its primary duty that is to guarantee the security of life, liberty and property of all its citizens and to uphold the rule of law," they said.



US-based Indian groups condemn communal violence in Orissa-USA-World-The Times of India
 

MUMBAI: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop from Mumbai, has appealed to the Centre to deploy the army to the jungles of Orissa where hundreds of Christians have taken refuge after being terrorised by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The army should protect these Christians, he said.

"It is a shocking and shameful situation ,'' the cardinal told TOI here on Wednesday while referring to the situation in Orissa where nine people were killed and 30 churches and orphanages were attacked recently by alleged VHP activists. These activists were protesting the killing of Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, senior VHP leader of Orissa allegedly by Christians.

"I spoke to sister Ramya, a nun working in the tribal belt of Orissa. She was helpless and in tears, and she had no sleep and food for the past three days. She was repeatedly crying for help.'' The cardinal said he would be requesting the Centre to intervene and restore normalcy in Orissa. "The state government and police have failed to build confidence among the minorities,'' he said, adding, "If need be, there should be President's rule in the state."

The cardinal said it was a matter of deep regret that some fundamentalist leaders had fanned the flame of communal passions. "The good image of our country is being destroyed by such incidents ,'' he pointed out. The cardinal blamed the intelligence agencies for their failure to prevent the attacks. "It is inexplicable how the intelligence machinery in Orissa was unable to foresee the danger and advise the government to take preventive measures ,'' he said.

He also condemned the murder of Swami Laksmananda Saraswati, but said it was the handiwork of naxalites. "The killers should be brought to book. But why target innocent Christians ?'' he asked. "I would appeal to the people to calm down and not make the situation more volatile."

On Wednesday at a press conference, the cardinal received solidarity from all quarters including Maulana Mustaquim, secretary of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, who said there were earlier attacks on Christians and churches in Orissa, but the government had failed to prevent such incidents from recurring. Social activist Tushar Gandhi said it was "an attack not just on a community, but on the democratic fabric of the nation." "We should save India from such fanatics,'' he said.

Abraham Matahi, convenor of the All-India Christian Council said there was ample proof to seek a ban on the VHP and Bajrang Dal. "If SIMI can be banned, why not these organisations who are spreading terror?'' he asked. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhat said that he had visited Orissa a few months ago. "The hostility towards Christians is unimaginable. We need to kill this hatred,'' he observed.

Call for bandh on Friday

Cardinal Oswald Gracias has called for closure of all Christian institutions on Friday as a mark of protest against the Orissa killings. "As a mark of our solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters who have been victims of this spree of killing, arson and devastation in Orissa and as a sign of protest against those deliberately stoking incendiary communal passions and creating religious hatred and disharmony , I am requesting all our educational institutions and schools to remain closed on Friday,'' he said. More than 180 schools under Bombay Archdiocesan board of Education (ABE ) will be shut in the Mumbai ,Thane and Raigad. Some members of the community also plan to take out a silent protest march to condemn the violence.
 

HYDERABAD – August 28, 2008 – Reports from eastern India of burning Christian homes, murdered pastors, and massive destruction of Christian property continued for a sixth day. All India Christian Council (aicc) leaders in Orissa state reported 17 Christians are dead and expect the figure to rise when communication is made with remote regions.

“Differences over religion cannot be blamed for these crimes. We are distressed at the defiance of law and order by Hindu fundamentalist leaders and their public comments which are spreading lies and hate. Their unpardonable excuse is that followers are uncontrollably angry about Christian conversions in the region,” said Dr. Joseph D’souza, aicc President. “We are also deeply troubled by the state and central government’s inadequate response. The fact that identical attacks happened in the same area exactly nine months ago is unbelievable. What will convince authorities to protect human rights and enforce constitutional guarantees?”

Although some state authorities claimed there were no new attacks, the situation continues to spiral out of control, especially in rural villages. Yesterday police were given shoot on sight orders in Kandhamal District, the epicenter of the violence, because mobs were violating curfews. Also, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr. Prakash Jaiswal, was supposed to visit affected areas. But his trip was canceled due to security concerns. Aicc had reliable reports of increased violence in Gajapati District in the southern part of the state.

Today Human Rights Watch, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), and Dalit Freedom Network (DFN) sent joint letters to the U.K. Foreign Secretary, U.S. Secretary of State, French Foreign Minister, and European Commissioner for External Relations urging them to issue statements of concern about the anti-Christian attacks in Orissa. CSW and DFN are aicc partners in Britain and the USA, respectively. France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Yesterday, in his afternoon address at Vatican Square, Pope Benedict XVI said he was deeply saddened by the violence against India’s Christians. A senior Vatican official called the attacks “a sin against God and humanity” according to one newspaper.

A seven member inter-denominational delegation from the aicc Orissa state chapter met with the governor, Mr. Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, for about 30 minutes this afternoon. “We apprised him of the situation and requested emergency deployment of the army, compensation for the victims, rebuilding of houses and churches, construction of relief camps, and restoration of the rule of law,” said Rev. P.R. Parichha, aicc Orissa state president. This evening the aicc Secretary General was scheduled to meet Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the ruling Indian National Congress Party in Delhi.

The aicc is supporting the call from major Indian church networks to close all of India’s Christian schools on Friday, August 29, 2008. The groups want children – and parents – to learn about the situation in Orissa and realize that communal divisions are harmful for India. They have encouraged people to pray for victims as well as perpetrators. It is estimated that about 30,000 schools will close their doors across India.

Christian leaders are also calling for a day of prayer and fasting across India on September 7, 2008.

In the aftermath of the murder of a Hindu swami by unknown assailants on August 23, 2008, 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 the spread of violence. Media reports and eye witness accounts indicate thousands of Christian properties burnt, sexual assaults of nuns, and pastors killed in their homes. See dedicated webpage at: christiancouncil.in - Orissa Anti-Christian Attacks 2008: Latest Information

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. Most of the victims were Dalits, formerly known as untouchables.

The All India Christian Council (Welcome to www.indianchristians.in), 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.
 
The Evangelical Project in Orissa
The Evangelical Project in Orissa | Offstumped

As Kandhamal burns, the BJD-BJP coalition in Orissa is under severe strain. It should be obvious to even the most amateur of political observers that the murder of Swami Lakshmananda was a pre-emptive strike at unravelling this coalition. The unabated violence against Christians is not just unacceptable but is plain stupidity to provoke it for it only widens chasm between the BJD and the BJP ahead of the elections to hand over Orissa on a platter to the Congress. The Naveen Patnaik Administration and the BJP must realise the stakes are too high for the NDA to not contain the violence and to bring the perpetrators of the murdee and subsequent violence to justice.

Having said that the events in Orissa are symptomatic of a deeper malaise that needs to be fully understood. When violence had flared in Kandhamal during Christmas last yera Offstumped had pointed out that it was a feud over entitlements while highlighting the mischief mongering by the National Minorities Commission’s fact finding team.

The bias in the NCM’s investigation is clear from these remarks that find place in the official report.

The 1991 Census shows the Christians constituted 75597 of the population of Kandhmal district whereas in the 2001 Census their population had gone up to 117950. While the increase in population in percentage terms is substantial, there is no evidence whatsoever that this increase occurred under duress or on account of inducement to conversion. A stringent law regarding conversion the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act has been on the statute books for the past four decades. The NCM Members asked both district officials and senior officials in the State Secretariat whether any cases had been reported or filed with regard to infringement of this law over the past 10 years. Not one incident of forcible conversion was cited or adduced. We also inquired from the Church representatives whether they keep a register of conversions. Such a register is a routine practice at the time of baptism. The Church representatives confirmed that they indeed maintained such a register. But no one has apparently bothered to check it. In fact the Archbishop of Bhubaneshwar told the NCM team that neither he nor anyone in the Diocese was ever summoned by the authorities with regard to matters relating to conversion. From the above the NCM team has inferred that there is no basis whatsoever to justify the anti-conversion campaign. On the other hand, this mischievous campaign has created an atmosphere of prejudice and suspicion against the Christian community and Christian priests and organizations.

It is clear from the above that the NCM team did the bare minimum necessary to understand the social effects of evangelical activity in Orissa. But what is confounding is the arrogance of the NCM in concluding that there is “no basis” for what it calls an “anti-conversion” campaign.

Offstumped will now detail the Evangelical Project in Orissa and the foreign entities behind it.

To understand this Project better, Offstumped draws the attention of its readers to foreign evangelocal entities “World Encounter” and LCMC (a Lutheran Church Congregation). The LCMC has a quarterly newsletter and in its edition for the first quarter of 2007, the LCMC newsletter carried a detailed 1 page story focused on Orissa where it invited congregations in the U.S.A for what it called

For a life-transforming experience, join World Encounter, in association with LCMC, on a short term outreach to India October 5-22, 2007. Orissa Evangelical Fellowship (OEF), an LCMC association of churches in India, has invited congregations in the US to encourage them in their efforts to share the Good News with the unreached people of India.

What’s interesting is why this project zeroed in on Orissa of all places, in its own words.
The people of Orissa are primarily tribal/animists and Hindus who worship spirits, trees, rocks, and other objects of nature. The heart of the OEF vision is focused on church planting, discipleship, and leadership…Groups of believers worship inhomes and thatch-roofed churches. In the midst of opposi-tion to the Gospel,they are committed to reaching their Hindu neighbors and families with the Good News that has transformed their lives .

This precisely is the problem in Orissa - aggressive proselytization with foreign funding and support thats invasive of people’s privacy with a clear objective of “planting churches”, expanding to “new villages” and evangelizing to “Hindu Neighbors”.

This not about the practice of Christianity in Orissa.

This is about changing the social demographics and the fabric of society in poor rural pockets of Orissa, one village, one neighborhood at a time.

To appreciate how well prepared this Evangelical Project in its targetting of Orissa, consider this compilation of target Villages in Orissa by geo-cordinates.

To further appreciate the sophistication and subterfuge with which proselytization is conducted in Orissa in the post-Staines era read this blog post by a Brian Zahnd, founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Church, a 4,000 member congregation in St. Joseph, Missouri.

I was never allowed to sit on the platform and was never introduced as a preacher. P.G. would say that he and his wife, Lilly, and his daughter, Grace, were the preachers. They would get up, speak for five minutes, and then P.G. would say he had a friend he wanted to introduce and bring a “greeting.” P.G. would introduce me as a friend bringing a greeting, and then as he handed me the microphone, he would whisper, “Preach for an hour and a half.” We did this twice a day and every evening. So three times a day I would bring a 90 minute “greeting.” I was told the police were wondering, “Who is this greeting man?” Because several thousand local people were coming at night, the evening meetings took on the tone of an evangelistic event. The last three nights I preached strong evangelistic messages….

The Orissa Government maintains a list of foreign contributions to NGOs in Orissa. The list is worth reading to appreciate how much money was pumped from International sources to further the evangelical project in Orissa during the earlier part of this decade - 2.3 crores to Orissa Fellowship Ministry, 12 crores for Cuttack Roman Catholic Diocese, 2.73 crore for Indian Evangelical Association, 1.4 crores for Brethren in Christ Church, 2.8crores for East India Mission, 4.4 crores for Joypore Evangelical Lutheran Church … the list goes on.

Of all the digging up by Offstumped, this appeal for foreign funds by a Pastor from Orissa should take the cake, replete with address and details of Bank Accounts posted as a comment on a Christian Financial Ministries site, its funny and tragic at the same time.

Pastor. Surya Karada AGAPE REACHING MINISTRIES GOVT. REGD. NO: 5392-30-2000-2001.GOVT. FCRA. NO: 105060070. FCRA.STATE BANK OF INDIA: ACCOUNTS. NO: 10535483790. PANCHGACHHIA, BARAIPALI, INDESTRIES.ESTATE SAMBALPUR, ORISSA, INDIA.768150

Had the NCM been honest and objective in its fact finding it would have detailed out the influence of foreign sponsored Evangelical Activities. The fact that this kind of evangelical proselytization with the aid and support of foreign entities finds no mention in the NCM’s report dents the NCM’s credibility while ascribing all the blame to the VHP’s so-called “anti-conversion” campaign.

Offstumped Bottomline: There is a critical distinction between the religious freedom of the Minority Community to practice its faith and the freedom to aggresively proselytize flush with funds and support by foreign entities. The former is a fundamental freedom enshrined in the Indian Constitution the latter is a privilege that has been abused to the detriment of the social fabric of poor rural communities. As Orissa picks up the pieces from this spate of violence the Evangelical Ministries would do well to reflect on the damage done by aggresive proselytization.
 
b1178458956b51f70e870f961bd6c2ed.jpg


A woman sits outside her burnt house after communal clashes in a village in Kandhamal district. (PTI Photo)
 
A shame on nation: PM



Anita Joshua



Assures church leaders of compensation to affected families






NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday described the ongoing violence in Orissa as a “shame on the nation” and is understood to have assured a delegation of church leaders that Rs. 3 lakh would be given as compensation to the families of those killed.

Briefing mediapersons after meeting the Prime Minister, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) spokesman Babu Joseph said that besides Dr. Singh’s compensation promise, funds would be released from the Prime Ministers’ Relief Fund for providing relief and rehabilitation to all those affected by the violence.

However, no formal announcement was forthcoming from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as the Model Code of Conduct is in place due to the urban local bodies’ elections in Orissa.

Members of the delegation said no fresh announcement was required on this count as there was a provision by which this compensation could be given to victims of such violence.

A PMO statement said the Prime Minister spoke to the Orissa Chief Minister after the meeting and requested him to take immediate steps to restore normality.

Dr. Singh also advised the Chief Minister to provide immediate relief to the affected people, particularly children.

Led by the CBCI, the eight-member delegation urged Dr. Singh to order an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the entire chain of events. They also demanded adequate deployment of the Army or paramilitary forces in the affected and sensitive areas to prevent further attacks.

Their contention was that the local police were unable to control the situation.

Other demands include impartial and proper assessment of the damage to property; be it establishments of the various churches or assets of individuals.

Call for punitive action



Besides demanding adequate compensation to the families of those killed or injured in the violence, the joint memorandum also sought punitive action against those responsible for creating communal disharmony.

While condemning the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmananda Saraswati and five others this past Saturday, the signatories to the joint memorandum said it was unfortunate that some organisations were blaming the Christian community for the murders.

Further, according to them, the State government failed to protect Christians and other innocent people.

“Families fleeing”


Stating that Christians in Orissa were living in fear, they pointed out that the perpetrators of the attack on the community were threatening members of the community despite the State government’s assurance of protection. Having lost faith in the police machinery, Christian families were fleeing their homes, the Prime Minister was told.

Closed


All Christian educational institutions will remain closed on Friday as a mark of protest.

The call for closure of all educational institutions for a day was first given by the CBCI, and other denominations, including the National Council of Churches of India, the Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Fellowship of India decided to join the protest action.

The Hindu : Front Page : A shame on nation: PM
 
Orissa violence: Catholic campuses in Kerala shut
29 Aug 2008, 1220 hrs IST,PTI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Expressing deep anguish over the attack on Christians and their institutions in parts of Orissa, Catholic schools and colleges across Kerala were on Friday shut as part of the countrywide protest over the issue.

All Christian denominations pledged solidarity with Catholic church by wearing black badges, passing resolutions condemning the attack on the community and holding prayer meetings in their institutions, sources said.

Schools and colleges run by three Catholic groups - Syro Malabar, Syro Malankara and Latin hierarchy - remained closed for the day.

Orissa violence: Catholic campuses in Kerala shut-India-The Times of India
 

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