Curfew
Refugee camp
Police console on christian victimsGovernment sponsored atrocitiesin orissa India
Thursday, October 2, 2008
BJPGovernment sponsored attacks on christians in India (Orissa)
Curfew Refugee camp Police console on christian victimsGovernment sponsored atrocitiesin orissa India
ANTI CHRIATIAN
Communal violence continued in the interior areas of Orissa’s Kandhamal district on Saturday even as Chief Minister visited Phulbani, the district headquarters town to take stock of the situation.
One church was burnt at Kupaguda village under G. Udaygiri block of the district during the morning hours. Also many houses were burnt down in Kiramal village under G. Udaygiri area and Lamangia village under Raikia block.
Reports indicated that around 50 houses were burnt down in Rajenpanga village under Daringbadi police station limits on Friday night. The areas witnessing more violence include Raikia, G. Udaygiri and Tikabali blocks.
Although the main road linking Phulbani with Berhampur remained open for traffic, miscreants blocked many interior roads making it difficult for the police to reach the places of violence.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said three persons were missing in Sankarakhol area since Thursday evening. It was being apprehended that they had been killed.
During his visit to Phulbani, the Chief Minister attended a meeting to assess the law and order situation. He returned to Bhubaneswar after announcing a development package for the riot-hit district. He did not visit any of the villages where violence took place in the past five days. “Peace and harmony must be maintained at all costs. There should be no leniency towards perpetrators of violence,” Mr. Patnaik said.
The government has termed the violence a conflict between the Kondh tribals and Dalit Panas, as there is long-standing animosity between the Kondhs and Panas in Kandhamal.
One church was burnt at Kupaguda village under G. Udaygiri block of the district during the morning hours. Also many houses were burnt down in Kiramal village under G. Udaygiri area and Lamangia village under Raikia block.
Reports indicated that around 50 houses were burnt down in Rajenpanga village under Daringbadi police station limits on Friday night. The areas witnessing more violence include Raikia, G. Udaygiri and Tikabali blocks.
Although the main road linking Phulbani with Berhampur remained open for traffic, miscreants blocked many interior roads making it difficult for the police to reach the places of violence.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said three persons were missing in Sankarakhol area since Thursday evening. It was being apprehended that they had been killed.
During his visit to Phulbani, the Chief Minister attended a meeting to assess the law and order situation. He returned to Bhubaneswar after announcing a development package for the riot-hit district. He did not visit any of the villages where violence took place in the past five days. “Peace and harmony must be maintained at all costs. There should be no leniency towards perpetrators of violence,” Mr. Patnaik said.
The government has termed the violence a conflict between the Kondh tribals and Dalit Panas, as there is long-standing animosity between the Kondhs and Panas in Kandhamal.
ANTICHRISIAN
Bhubaneswar: “Simply out of control,” is how Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, described the situation in Kandhamal, the district in central Orissa that has seen sustained violence against Christians by Sangh Parivar groups since December 2007.
“I see an attempt to appease the majority, because of the coming elections, in the statement given by the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, when he went to Phulbani [the district headquarters of Kandhamal] yesterday [on Saturday],” he told The Hindu in an interview in Bhubaneswar at the Archbishop’s House. “There was not one word in his statement about the 40,000 persons displaced and in relief camps, not one word about the 4,200 homes destroyed, and not one word about the 45 persons — including a pastor who was cut to pieces just a few days ago in front of his wife — who have been murdered. Why did he go?”
A tired and anguished Archbishop severely indicted the State and Central governments of insensitivity and inaction in respect of the violence and injustice perpetrated against the Dalit Christians of Kandhamal.
“My impression is that the State government is trying its best to cover up the violence by giving the impression that the normalcy has been restored, and that there is no need for further action.” The Supreme Court, he said, in response to a petition filed before it on September 8 seeking protection from the relentless violence against Christians, had given the State government four weeks to respond. The Archbishop said the Sangh Parivar had used this period to “systematically destroy one village after another.” “Excuse unacceptable”
The excuse of the State government that marauding mobs often outnumbered the police force present at the spot, he said, was unacceptable. “Why did they allow the numbers to swell in the first place?” “We know that in cases of attack and even rape the police just stood by and took no action. What is left to destroy now?”
The Archbishop said he had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh three times, President Pratibha Patel twice, Home Minister Shivraj Patil twice and Congress president Sonia Gandhi once over the situation in Kandhamal. The Prime Minister, he said, called it a “national shame” and promised help, but there had not been any real change in the situation as Dalits continue to live in relief camps and were too frightened to return to their villages.
According to the Archbishop, the Sangh Parivar has “issued a fatwa” that by September 30, residents must return to their villages to be re-converted to Hinduism. “I am issuing a letter that will be distributed to Christians telling them not to worry and to be firm. No conversion is valid unless it is free. A document signed under duress is not valid under law.”
He is also planning to call a meeting of Bishops and heads of religious groups to organise a rally in Bhubaneswar protesting the grave violence and injustice against Christians in Kandhamal.
“I see an attempt to appease the majority, because of the coming elections, in the statement given by the Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, when he went to Phulbani [the district headquarters of Kandhamal] yesterday [on Saturday],” he told The Hindu in an interview in Bhubaneswar at the Archbishop’s House. “There was not one word in his statement about the 40,000 persons displaced and in relief camps, not one word about the 4,200 homes destroyed, and not one word about the 45 persons — including a pastor who was cut to pieces just a few days ago in front of his wife — who have been murdered. Why did he go?”
A tired and anguished Archbishop severely indicted the State and Central governments of insensitivity and inaction in respect of the violence and injustice perpetrated against the Dalit Christians of Kandhamal.
“My impression is that the State government is trying its best to cover up the violence by giving the impression that the normalcy has been restored, and that there is no need for further action.” The Supreme Court, he said, in response to a petition filed before it on September 8 seeking protection from the relentless violence against Christians, had given the State government four weeks to respond. The Archbishop said the Sangh Parivar had used this period to “systematically destroy one village after another.” “Excuse unacceptable”
The excuse of the State government that marauding mobs often outnumbered the police force present at the spot, he said, was unacceptable. “Why did they allow the numbers to swell in the first place?” “We know that in cases of attack and even rape the police just stood by and took no action. What is left to destroy now?”
The Archbishop said he had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh three times, President Pratibha Patel twice, Home Minister Shivraj Patil twice and Congress president Sonia Gandhi once over the situation in Kandhamal. The Prime Minister, he said, called it a “national shame” and promised help, but there had not been any real change in the situation as Dalits continue to live in relief camps and were too frightened to return to their villages.
According to the Archbishop, the Sangh Parivar has “issued a fatwa” that by September 30, residents must return to their villages to be re-converted to Hinduism. “I am issuing a letter that will be distributed to Christians telling them not to worry and to be firm. No conversion is valid unless it is free. A document signed under duress is not valid under law.”
He is also planning to call a meeting of Bishops and heads of religious groups to organise a rally in Bhubaneswar protesting the grave violence and injustice against Christians in Kandhamal.
AntiChriastian
Hindu Rashtra our aim: Bajrang Dal chief
NEW DELHI: Bajrang Dal chief Prakash Sharma has admitted that Bhupinder Singh, one of the two men who died in an explosion while bombs were assembled in a private hostel in Kanpur on August 24, was a “former activist.” But “he left the Dal several years ago. The Dal cannot be held responsible for his actions,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu here on Wednesday
When the Bajrang Dal was set up in 1984 as the youth arm of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Sharma was made its Kanpur unit convener. At that time, it was “active only in a few districts of Uttar Pradesh. Today it has some 13 lakh activists spread across most of the States and our aim is to cover every district of the country,” said Mr. Sharma, who had just returned from a visit to Kanpur.
On August 24, the police found at the site of the bomb explosion at Rajeev Nagar “11 country-made pistols, explosives, seven timers, batteries and gelatin sticks,” according to reports quoting Kanpur Inspector-General S.S. Singh. No further breakthrough has been made.
“Yes, Bhupinder Singh was one of us, but I do not know Rajeev Mishra, who also died in that explosion,” Mr. Sharma said. “Statement a mistake”
The Bajrang Dal chief denied that his organisation was involved in the violence against Christians in Kandhamal district of Orissa or in Mangalore and elsewhere in Karnataka, although the Karnataka unit chief Mahendra Kumar, had issued a statement accepting its role.
Mr. Sharma dismissed that statement as a “mistake.” “How can you say Hindus are involved? How can you be sure Christians are not killing each other? I know of two Christians who set fire to a church in Orissa.”
Senior VHP leader Giriraj Kishore, who was present at the interview, said: “There was bound to be reaction when Lakshmanananda [VHP activist] was murdered. After all, he was working in that area.”
Mr. Sharma said although the BJP was a coalition partner in the Orissa government “the murderers” of Lakshmanananda had not been caught. “The government has done nothing to catch the culprits.”
Mr. Sharma listed the tasks before the Dal as “seva” (service of the people) and “suraksha” (protection). Its volunteers were given tough physical training to help them protect themselves and the people. He insisted that they were not trained in firearms, and were trained only in “aiming with air guns for which we run regular camps.”
The larger aim of the Dal, Mr. Sharma said, was “to establish a Hindu Rashtra.“Stop conversion”
As for the minorities, Mr. Sharma said, “they can live in a Hindu Rashtra. We do not say do not go to mosques or churches. But conversion must be stopped … We have re-converted to Hinduism through the ghar vapasi (home-coming) programme about 10,000-15,000 people since I became Bajrang Dal convener in 2002.”
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NEW DELHI: Bajrang Dal chief Prakash Sharma has admitted that Bhupinder Singh, one of the two men who died in an explosion while bombs were assembled in a private hostel in Kanpur on August 24, was a “former activist.” But “he left the Dal several years ago. The Dal cannot be held responsible for his actions,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu here on Wednesday
When the Bajrang Dal was set up in 1984 as the youth arm of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Sharma was made its Kanpur unit convener. At that time, it was “active only in a few districts of Uttar Pradesh. Today it has some 13 lakh activists spread across most of the States and our aim is to cover every district of the country,” said Mr. Sharma, who had just returned from a visit to Kanpur.
On August 24, the police found at the site of the bomb explosion at Rajeev Nagar “11 country-made pistols, explosives, seven timers, batteries and gelatin sticks,” according to reports quoting Kanpur Inspector-General S.S. Singh. No further breakthrough has been made.
“Yes, Bhupinder Singh was one of us, but I do not know Rajeev Mishra, who also died in that explosion,” Mr. Sharma said. “Statement a mistake”
The Bajrang Dal chief denied that his organisation was involved in the violence against Christians in Kandhamal district of Orissa or in Mangalore and elsewhere in Karnataka, although the Karnataka unit chief Mahendra Kumar, had issued a statement accepting its role.
Mr. Sharma dismissed that statement as a “mistake.” “How can you say Hindus are involved? How can you be sure Christians are not killing each other? I know of two Christians who set fire to a church in Orissa.”
Senior VHP leader Giriraj Kishore, who was present at the interview, said: “There was bound to be reaction when Lakshmanananda [VHP activist] was murdered. After all, he was working in that area.”
Mr. Sharma said although the BJP was a coalition partner in the Orissa government “the murderers” of Lakshmanananda had not been caught. “The government has done nothing to catch the culprits.”
Mr. Sharma listed the tasks before the Dal as “seva” (service of the people) and “suraksha” (protection). Its volunteers were given tough physical training to help them protect themselves and the people. He insisted that they were not trained in firearms, and were trained only in “aiming with air guns for which we run regular camps.”
The larger aim of the Dal, Mr. Sharma said, was “to establish a Hindu Rashtra.“Stop conversion”
As for the minorities, Mr. Sharma said, “they can live in a Hindu Rashtra. We do not say do not go to mosques or churches. But conversion must be stopped … We have re-converted to Hinduism through the ghar vapasi (home-coming) programme about 10,000-15,000 people since I became Bajrang Dal convener in 2002.”
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AntiChristian
PHULBANI: Acting on a public interest petition filed by the Utkal Christian Council, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice B.N. Mohapatra has asked the State government to deploy paramilitary forces at the relief camps where thousands of riot-affected Christian families have taken shelter.
The Court also directed the Kandhamal police to ensure immediate registration of cases at different police stations on the complaints filed by affected families living in relief camps and other places. The Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal was further directed to take stringent action against any policeman found sympathising with the rioters.
In Kandhamal, official sources said daytime curfew was reimposed in the nine towns as the administration apprehended a backlash in the wake of the arrest of local leaders. The towns include Phulbani, G. Udaygiri, Tikabali, Raikia, Tumudibandha, K. Nuagaon, Gochhapada, Phiringia and Baliguda. Night curfew was already in force in these towns since long.
In fact, over 200 people were arrested in the district since communal violence broke out after the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmanananda last month. But arrest of prominent local leaders started only after Tuesday’s attack in G. Udaygiri area.
At least 45 persons were taken into custody from G. Udaygiri, Phulbani and others areas. General secretary of Kandhamal District unit of the BJP Bhagaban Mohanty was among them.
The administration had also asked the licensed gun holders in the district to surrender their weapons.
Life was paralysed in the areas where curfew remained in force during the day. Top district officials advised media persons not to visit interior areas in communally sensitive pockets. “We are apprehending trouble in some areas,” District Collector Krishan Kumar said.
Director-General of Police Manmohan Praharaj reached Phulbani on Wednesday evening to take stock of the law and order situation.Christians seek refugee status
Special Correspondent writes from New Delhi:
Accusing the Centre of failing to protect the minorities, 100 Christians from the Kandhamal district of Orissa approached the United Nations here on Wednesday seeking refugee status for the community. Led by civil rights activists, a delegation submitted a memorandum to U.N. officials.
Holding placards stating “Government of India has failed to protect its minorities,” the group said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees should declare “Oriya Christians” as refugees and bring them under the legal framework to protect their human dignity from rights violations and abuse.
“Currently, they along with tens of thousands, are a stateless people as the writ of the Government of India does not run in the State of Orissa. There is no rule of law and ‘mobocracy’ by Hindutva terror outfits like the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal is the political system which is in place. The Prime Minister has not visited Orissa and earlier, even the Home Minister of India could not visit the victims.”
According to the memorandum, these Oriya Christians fulfil the requirements as per U.N. conventions to be ‘Internally Displaced Persons’. Seeking relief from U.N. agencies and the International Red Cross, it said the community would either be killed by “Hindu extremists” or die of malnourishment if no attention was paid immediately.
Stating that the Orissa government had prevented Christian NGOs from working in the affected areas, the memorandum questioned the Centre’s refusal to use its constitutional powers. Also, the delegation urged the international community to mount pressure on India to fulfil its obligations under the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which it ratified in 1948.
The Court also directed the Kandhamal police to ensure immediate registration of cases at different police stations on the complaints filed by affected families living in relief camps and other places. The Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal was further directed to take stringent action against any policeman found sympathising with the rioters.
In Kandhamal, official sources said daytime curfew was reimposed in the nine towns as the administration apprehended a backlash in the wake of the arrest of local leaders. The towns include Phulbani, G. Udaygiri, Tikabali, Raikia, Tumudibandha, K. Nuagaon, Gochhapada, Phiringia and Baliguda. Night curfew was already in force in these towns since long.
In fact, over 200 people were arrested in the district since communal violence broke out after the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmanananda last month. But arrest of prominent local leaders started only after Tuesday’s attack in G. Udaygiri area.
At least 45 persons were taken into custody from G. Udaygiri, Phulbani and others areas. General secretary of Kandhamal District unit of the BJP Bhagaban Mohanty was among them.
The administration had also asked the licensed gun holders in the district to surrender their weapons.
Life was paralysed in the areas where curfew remained in force during the day. Top district officials advised media persons not to visit interior areas in communally sensitive pockets. “We are apprehending trouble in some areas,” District Collector Krishan Kumar said.
Director-General of Police Manmohan Praharaj reached Phulbani on Wednesday evening to take stock of the law and order situation.Christians seek refugee status
Special Correspondent writes from New Delhi:
Accusing the Centre of failing to protect the minorities, 100 Christians from the Kandhamal district of Orissa approached the United Nations here on Wednesday seeking refugee status for the community. Led by civil rights activists, a delegation submitted a memorandum to U.N. officials.
Holding placards stating “Government of India has failed to protect its minorities,” the group said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees should declare “Oriya Christians” as refugees and bring them under the legal framework to protect their human dignity from rights violations and abuse.
“Currently, they along with tens of thousands, are a stateless people as the writ of the Government of India does not run in the State of Orissa. There is no rule of law and ‘mobocracy’ by Hindutva terror outfits like the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal is the political system which is in place. The Prime Minister has not visited Orissa and earlier, even the Home Minister of India could not visit the victims.”
According to the memorandum, these Oriya Christians fulfil the requirements as per U.N. conventions to be ‘Internally Displaced Persons’. Seeking relief from U.N. agencies and the International Red Cross, it said the community would either be killed by “Hindu extremists” or die of malnourishment if no attention was paid immediately.
Stating that the Orissa government had prevented Christian NGOs from working in the affected areas, the memorandum questioned the Centre’s refusal to use its constitutional powers. Also, the delegation urged the international community to mount pressure on India to fulfil its obligations under the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which it ratified in 1948.
Antichrist
DRIVEN TO DESPERATION: Christians from Kandhamal hold placards outside the office of the United Nations in New Delhi on Wednesday, protesting the failure of the Centre to protect minorities in Orissa. In a memorandum submitted to the U.N., the delegation said ‘Oriya Christians’ had become stateless people and should be given refugee status.
NEW DELHI: As the fury of communal violence continued to engulf Kandhamal district of Orissa, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday rushed 10 more companies of Central para-military forces to help the State government.
While six companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were immediately sent, the remaining companies would be leaving in a day or two, according to a Ministry spokesperson here.
As reported by The Hindu earlier, the Orissa government had sought 10 additional companies to tackle the situation in Kandhamal district arising out of incidents of violence against Christians. The Home Ministry said Orissa already had 67 companies, and it would be severely constrained to pull out personnel from other States.
The Ministry asked the State government to deploy Central forces in a “proper” manner and also advised it to utilise the services of 24 companies given for anti-naxalite operations.
However, even the redeployment failed to put down lawlessness in Kandhamal district. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has also decided to send its team to Orissa after October 9 to assess the situation.
In view of the festival season, particularly Eid, Durga Puja and Dussehra and in the wake of the recent blasts in the national capital, the Ministry has given nine companies of Central forces to the Delhi government.
It is sending four companies to Malegaon (Maharashtra), which witnessed a bomb blast in a hotel on September 29. Two persons were killed in the incident.
Prafulla Das reports from Phulbani:
Violence continued in the interior areas of Kandhamal district. Pro-Hinduvta protesters burnt down five houses at Paningia village in Chakapad area in the early hours of the day.
At least 30 houses were torched in two villages in the Rakia block in the afternoon.
Indefinite curfew was imposed from midnight as the police arrested local leaders belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Kui Samaj, an organisation of Kondh tribals.
Earlier, the Orissa High Court directed the Centre to send additional paramilitary forces as sought by the State government.
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