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E-mailRadical militant Hindus have violently attacked Christian institutions over the past several days in India’s state of Orissa -- deaths are mounting, as well as physical damage.
Attacks on churches, schools, homes, hostels, a convent, missionary hospitals and individuals have occurred since December of last year, and even as far back as 1999 when missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death in their car by militant Hindus.
But this latest round of violence has been sparked by the murder of a radical Hindu leader, Swami Laxanananda Saraswati, who actively sought to reconvert both Hindus and tribal people from Christianity back to Hinduism.
Police in Orissa blame the re-eruption of violence and killing on local Maoist rebels who try to win support among the region's poorer tribes, fomenting and carrying out acts of violence against both Christians and Hindus. Police efforts to stem the violence has been met with physical resistance – in Kandhamal district, villagers blocked roads with logs and boulders to stop police from entering while TV cameras showed them vandalizing a church and torching furniture.
On Monday, August 25, as many as 40 homes of Christians were destroyed; one hospital was entered and its patients and priests were beaten; the Archbishop’s house was attacked and damaged; one Catholic parish was entered and two priests remain missing from the site; one Baptist church and several Christian schools were torched; and several boys were beaten and injured at a boys’ hostel.
But the worst violence occurred in the Konjamendi region where a priest was horribly beaten and a religious nun raped. There are reports that the priest and nun are still being held against their will in Durga Mandap, which is a Hindu place of worship. Details are sketchy because of the remote location and poor phone connections in this heavily forested area of India, but there are some reports coming from the region via emails, and Reuters and BosNewsLife both are reporting the incidents, along with AsiaNews, accompanied by a few photos.
Asianews.it showed an image of a burning jeep and reported:
Shouting “Kill Christians and destroy their institutions,” thousands of Hindus from the militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stormed the Pastoral Centre of the diocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, laying it waste. The same fate was visited upon a social centre in K. Naugam, a church and parish residence in Kandhamal, and a chapel in Sundergarth. A van owned by the Sisters of Mother Teresa was attacked as it made its way to Bhavanipatni whilst another that belonged to the Daughters of the most Precious Blood was burnt in Udayagir.
The VHP, Saraswati’s organization, is known for its opposition to Christian activism, and outright anti-Christian violence, and favors the ancient caste system and Tribals. As usual the Maoists are playing both ends against the middle here, happy to create chaos and forment religious persecution.
By accusing the VHP of creating ethno-religious conflict and threatening him, they elicited a response from Saraswati that called for protests against Muslims. Days later, Saraswati was assassinated in his ashram. The radical Hindus then blamed Christians for the violence and murder of Saraswati.
The Vatican has condemned the violence calling it “bullying.” Unfortunately, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran from the Vatican’s inter-religious affairs department thought that perhaps the Vatican doesn’t “understand Hinduism as well as it should.”
What the Vatican really needs to know and understand is the agenda of the Maoist guerillas and the various radical Hindu parties. Former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda says there is a “larger conspiracy to turn state after state into a Hindutva laboratory.” If that is case and it is achieved, all efforts of missionaries will be stopped completely, along with the humanitarian services these groups provide – and that would be a great loss for the impoverished people of the region.
Peter F. Steele
Dr. Sam Paul, aicc Secretary Public Affairs
sam@christiancouncil.in
+91-9989697778
For immediate release
Massive violence against Christians continues unabated in Orissa
Christian organizations call for national shut-down of educational institutions on Friday
HYDERABAD – August 27, 2008
Violent attacks against Christians in the eastern state of Orissa continued 5th day. The Christian leaders across denominations are calling for Christian educational institutions to peacefully protest by closing schools on Friday. In positive news, a key appeal was won in the Orissa High Court this afternoon to protect victims and restore order.
“Some people have called the violence ‘Hindu-Christian clashes’. But this is not accurate. Innocent Christians – mostly of Dalit origin – continue to be attacked by communal organizations which are mocking the rule of law. Governance in Orissa state appears to have disintegrated,” said Dr. Joseph D’souza, President of the All India Christian Council (aicc).
“We call for all church and Christian educational institutions of Catholic, Protestant, Independent, and unaffiliated Christian denominations in the service of society to close for one day,” said Sam Paul, aicc National Secretary of Public Affairs. The aicc is supporting the call from church networks -- including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the Evangelical Fellowship of India, and the National Council of Churches in India -- to close Christian schools on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. A letter sent by these groups said in part:
“Communal organizations have taken the law into their hands in 12 districts of Orissa and are going about targeting not only institutions but also persons. What is at stake is not only the freedom of conscience of a minority community but India’s secular democracy, its commitment to human rights and constitutional guarantees. The destructive and divisive communal forces have to be stopped. We want this message to go across to our fellow countrymen and that is why we are closing our educational institutions on Friday, 29th August 2008 in deep sorrow and anguish. We hope parents become aware of the implications of the incidents in Orissa. We also request all our people to pray for the victims of violence in Orissa and other places and their near and dear ones. We also pray for the misguided perpetrators of violence that they may mend their ways and become responsible citizens.”
A non-sectarian group of lawyers won an important appeal in the Orissa High Court this morning. Lawyers from the Human Rights Law Network filed “Sangram Mallick vs. Union of India”, Writ Petition Civil, No. 12318 of 2008. The petitioner and his organization, Ambedkar Lohia Vichar Manch, sought rehabilitation of all victims, provision of relief, and increased protection -- including deployment of more security forces such as Central Reserve Police Forces. A division bench of the High Court in Cuttack, Orissa, including Chief Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice B.N. Mahapatra, specifically directed the state’s District Collectors to help victims return safely from hiding in the forests to their homes.
In the aftermath of the murder of a Hindu swami by unknown assailants on Aug. 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 spreading violence. Media reports and eye witness accounts indicate about a dozen Christians were killed and thousands of Christian properties burnt. See dedicated webpage at: http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/2332/45/
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.
The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), 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.
Released by
Madhu Chandra
Regional Secretary, New Delhi
9868184939