Source:  www.assistnews.net

Date:  2007-12-29

Christian leaders write to India's Vice President calling for government intervention and protection following attacks on Christians

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

NEW DELHI, INDIA (ANS) -- In a letter addressed to His Excellency Mr. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, leaders of India's Christian community are calling on the government to provide police protection and look into violent attacks against Christians in the Kandhamal and Orrisa Districts of India.

Among the signatories of the letter, obtained by ANS and requesting government intervention is Dr. Joseph D'Souza, President of the All India Christian Council.

He writes: "We would like to represent to you the sad situation prevailing in Kandhamal District and several other parts of Orissa. Christians are brutally attacked by the fundamentalists and law and order is fully missing, especially in Kandhamal district where the Fundamentalists have taken charge of the whole district."

D'Souza says the trouble began on December 24 at 8.00 a.m. at Bamunigam village, close to the police station under Daringibadi Block of Kandhamal District.

In his letter, D'Souza explains that: "Some Hindu Fundamentalists forcefully removed the Christmas decoration, which the Ambedkar Baniko Sangho comprising the local Christian entrepreneurs, had put up as a preparation for Christmas, with the due permission of the administration.

"This was followed by heated exchange of words between the two groups, as the Fundamentalists insisted on trying to stop the Christmas celebrations. Within a few minutes a group of people who were stationed close by pounced on the members of Ambedkar Baniko Sangho (religious group) with sticks, knives and other lethal weapons, including guns."

Seeing the crowd coming to attack, the people dispersed out of fear, D'Souza said.

According to D'Souza, the Fundamentalists began to destroy the shops owned by Christians.

"About fifteen shops have been destroyed and looted. They also shot at Christian community by guns, badly injuring two of them. They also destroyed about fifteen shops belonging to the Christians and looted the property available," he said.

Several members of Ambedkar Boniko Sango were beaten up by the mob, he said.

On the second day, December 25, D'Souza said the crowd came back and destroyed the Churches in Bamunigam area. Then they entered the Christian villages and burned their houses and property. They were also threatened to leave their places.

Attack on Balliguda Parish

In the evening of the same day a much larger crowd (400 to 500 people) marched into Balliguda town parish damaging and ransacking the Church building, residence of priest, convents and institutions and also looted property. By 10.00 p.m., he said, the following institutions were destroyed and burned (some fully, others partly): the large parish church, the presbytery, the convent, a computer room, and a dispensary, in addition to two student's hostels.

"The same crowd moved into the town and completely burned down the church belonging to the Baptist Christians. They also attacked another church belonging to the Pentecostal Christians," D'Souza said.

On December 25 the attackers were moving around menacingly and threatening the priests and Christians so that they were not even able to file an incident report.

"The situation is desperate and there is total fear and anxiety among Christians," said D'Souza.

Two constables asked the priests of Phulbani parish to cancel their Christmas celebration in case there was more trouble.

On December 25, the convent in Phulbani was also attacked by a group of Fundamentalists.

"They destroyed everything possible from outside of the convent (door, window glasses, etc.) They also destroyed a new school bus," D'Souza wrote.

D'Souza also reported that on December 25, the priests and sisters in Pobingia parish were advised to move out to a safer place, which they did. Thereafter at 12.00 noon a group of Bajrandal people attacked the church of Pobingia parish and destroyed it. Following this attack, they destroyed the priest's residence in the afternoon.

D'Souza stated: "All these happened in the presence of police with impunity. More than half of 24 parishes in Kandhamal District could not celebrate Christmas mass because of fear of attack."

He went on to say that during midnight Mass on December 24, someone threw a bomb onto the Archbishop's House in Bhubaneswar. Although it exploded, fortunately no damage took place.

Letter states the fears of Christian believers

In his letter, D'Souza stated the fears faced by the Christian community.

He said that: "Even though the Union Home Minister and state Government have been assuring us to provide protection, the fundamentalists are moving about with lethal weapons threatening the Christians.

"The Fundamentalists go on their destructive activities even in the presence of the police force, who often say that they are not enough to face such a crowd. The destruction goes on unabated. The Christians who are already attacked and those who are in great fear of being attacked, feel with sufficient reason that they are left to the mercy of the fundamentalists."

He continued: "We don't see anywhere sufficient numbers of police force. The senior police officers who deputed to the Kandhamal District for maintenance of law and order have expressed their inability to contain the situation in the absence of adequate force."

In addition, he said, "The Fundamentalists are forcing the Christians to leave their homes and take refuge in the forest."

In Barakhama, 400 houses have been gutted, five people murdered, property looted, one tractor burned and as many as many as 32 churches have been attacked and or destroyed.

D'Souza points the finger of blame at the Kui Janakalyan Samiti organization. (Kuis are tribal peoples from among whom lesser numbers have embraced Catholicism and Christianity). This organization had declared bandh (originally a Hindi word meaning 'closed', a form of protest used by political activists in some countries in South Asia like India and Nepal) on December 26 and 26 in order to press for their alleged demands.

"But it was only a ploy to prevent the celebration and attack the Christians and their churches and institutions," D'Souza said. "But their real purpose was to disturb their Christmas celebration, the important feast of Christians; it is even a National holiday.

"Instead of conducting bandh they have unleashed a reign of terror, destroying institutions, intimidating Christians and forcing them to go out of their homes.

"Their entire attention is on driving away Christians from the region. It is evident from the slogan they are shouting at Christians."

Most of the priests, pastors and religious sisters in Kandhamal District have taken shelter in the forest. In fact, the Fundamentalists are searching for their hideouts, D'souza stated.

"All these things happened during the last four days. We are in receipt of information from various churches and institutions that the miscreants are still active and the destruction of property is still going on and Christians are under attack. On the other hand, the innocent Christians are apprehended and Christian officials are victimized in order to appease the Fundamentalists," he said.

In view of the above, D'Souza demanded that a CBI inquiry be ordered for proper and impartial investigation for justice. (The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is India's premier investigating agency, responsible for a wide variety of criminal and national security matters).

D'Souza called for Central Paramilitary forces to be deployed in adequate strength at all the affected and sensitive places to prevent any further recurrences, as the local police have not been able to control the situation.

He also wants an impartial and proper assessment of the property damaged, caused to various Churches, Christian institutions and other institutions and restored confidence of the people in the local administration.

He calls for proper compensation to be given to the deceased family and injured persons.

D'Souza also says the culprits responsible for creating communal disharmony and causing damage to people and properties "be severely dealt with and the Government officials be given exemplary punishments for their gross negligence, inaction, (and) apathy amounting to connivance with the perpetrators."

Finally, D'Souza proposes a Fact Finding Committee, consisting of various Church leaders and representatives, to visit various affected sites and personnel of the Kandhamal District and other affected places of the state to take stock of the situation and to console the victims and families. He also requested adequate police protection for the team during their visit.