Christians under attack in Orissa, India

September 15th, 2008

At least seventeen people have been killed in Orissa State in Eastern India. Violence against the community erupted at the end of August after the killing of a Hindu leader and four of his disciples.

While the government held a Maoist group responsible for the killings, Hindu fundamentalist groups blamed Christians. Mob retaliation was swift and fierce. Hundreds of Christians, priests, nuns and children have fled to the jungle in order to escape further attacks. The violence is now spreading to ther parts of India.

The Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India is urgently asking for international support for beleaguered Christians who are mainly Dalits or tribals.

Details:

Since 24 August 2008, at least seventeen people have been killed in unabated violence, as a backlash to the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples. Three people were killed when their houses were torched in Raikia area, and four died from police violence. Two others, including a woman, were killed when a missionary-run orphanage was set on fire on 25 August.

The on-going carnage apparently targets the Christian community, mostly Dalits and tribals, in the Kandhamal district of Orissa and in several other districts including the state capital of Bhubaneswar. The violence began on 23 August 2008. A large number of churches (45), houses (1,784), and vehicles have been torched by mobs in areas including Nuagaon, Udaygiri, Raikia, Phiringia and Baliguda. A nun from the diocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar has been gang-raped in a separate incident before the building of a social service centre was destroyed.

As the carnage continues unchecked and the death toll rises every day, innocent Christians in Orissa find themselves in a precarious situation. Hundreds of Christians, priests, nuns and children have fled to the jungle in order to escape further attacks.

The state government has been widely criticized for failing to maintain law and order and ensure the safety of Christian minorities in Orissa. At the end of his weekly general audience on 27 August, the Pope appealed to “religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to re-establish among members of the different communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which always have been a distinctive sign of Indian society.

The violence is spreading to other parts of India. Please see our post on a recent attack on the Carmelite SIsters in Bangalore.

ACTION REQUESTED

Please write letters expressing your concern, and request the authorities to:

Ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa;
Provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims;
Create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful civil coexistence; and
Bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

SAMPLE LETTER

Madam President,

We write with deep concern over the communal violence that has engulfed many districts in Orissa since 24 August 2008. The target of the violence has been the Christian minorities, most of whom are tribals and Dalits. The ongoing carnage has resulted in the death of some seventeen persons. A nun has been gang-raped. Many people, including priests and nuns have been injured. Their properties and places of worship have been vandalized. Hundreds, including Catholic school children, were forced to escape into the forests where they are living in fear and insecurity.

The uncontained violence in many districts of Orissa, which we understand to be a state notorious for a culture of communal violence in recent years, points out that the state government has failed in its duty to protect the lives of Christians. This violates their right to life and personal liberty – the very right enshrined in the Constitution of India (Article 21) and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR Article 6) to which the Government of India is a party.

It is time that your Nation State, which is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, honored the commitment it made to the United Nations on 19 April 2006, in a pledge made for its candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council: India’s commitment to “promoting and protecting human rights flows from the realization that in a truly pluralistic society, the growth and well-being of citizens can only be guaranteed through a culture of protection and promotion of human rights.”

It is in this context, and with great urgency that we appeal to you, Madam President, to initiate suitable measures that:

• Protect the rights, lives and properties of Christians in Orissa;
• Provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims as per ICCPR Article 2.3.1;
• Ensure a climate of peace and harmony in Orissa state so that people may live without fear; and
• Bring perpetrators to justice in order to stop impunity.

Sincerely,
Your Name

Send letters to:

Madam Pratibha Patel, President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, India

Fax: (91) 11-2301 7290 & (91) 11-2301 7824
E-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Send Copies to:

1. Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minster of India
Prime Minster’s Office, South Block
Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110 011, INDIA
Fax: (91) 11-2301 9545 / (91) 11-2301 6857
E-mail: pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. Mr Naveen Patnaik
Chief Minister of Orissa
Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa, INDIA

Fax: (91) 674 253 5100
Email: cmo@ori.nic.in

3. Hon’ble Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission,
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi, PIN 110001, INDIA

Fax: (91) 11 2338 4863
E-Mail: chairnhrc@nic.in; covdnhrc@nic.in; ionhrc@nic.in

4. Indian Ambassador to the United States:

Ambassador Ronen Sen
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC20008

Phone: (202) 939-7000
Fax: (202) 265-4351

This information is from:

COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF INDIA
Tel: +91-11-23366127 Mob: +91-9868511018
Email: jpdcommission@gmail.com & nithiyas@gmail.com

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