CWM

Court orders more protection for Christians in Orissa

Friday, 03 October 2008 17:10

India's federal government has been issued a court order to rush additional forces into Kandhamal to protect persecuted Christians, Anto Akkara reports from Orissa capital Bhubaneswar.

The order was issued by the High Court of Eastern Orissa following a petition filed by Church of North India (CNI) Bishop Samson Das of Cuttuck in his role as president of the Christian Council.

"Security is the most urgent concern here as people are fleeing their houses and out of Kandhamal," Bishop Das said. "This is a very dangerous situation for the church as the entire Christian community is threatened to move out or get converted to Christianity."

But despite the court order, attacks against Christians in the region have continued.

As the nation woke up to commemorate the 139th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on 2 October, more than 100 Christian houses were torched in Kandhamal and the nearby Boudh district.

According to church action groups, 57 people have been killed and 4,300 Christian houses have been looted and torched following the murder of Hindu leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in August. Some 142 churches and dozens Christian institutions have also been targeted by Hindu fundamentalists in the region.

Hindus who provided protection to Christians fleeing death or forced conversion have also been killed.

More than two thirds of the 100 000 Christians from Kandhamal have either fled to cities like Bhubaneswar, become jungle refugees or taken refuge in one of the 14 relief camps set up by the government.

Hundreds of Kandhamal Christians camping in Bhubaneswar joined a protest march against the violence on 3 October, organised by former Indian parliament member, Nakul Nayak from Phulbani (headquarters of Kandhamal district).

Senior CNI church member from Udaigir, Paul Pradhan, who joined the sit-in, had to flee for his life when the violence broke out in August. His wife was beaten and forced to undergo a Hindu reconversion before being brought to a hospital in Bhubaneswar.