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 Bhubaneswar: Orissa woke up to a bleak new year on 1 January 2008 as tension continued to simmer in the riot-hit Kandhamal district.
Three people were killed and several injured in the clashes between Hindus and Christians in Kandhamal. Christian groups claim that nine people were killed in the attack by Hindu groups in the tribal dominated area. According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) - the premier Christian organisation in the country - five parish churches, 50 village churches and six convents and other Christian institutions were destroyed or damaged in the violence that began on 22 December 2007.
The pressure is also building on Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Minorities Commission prepare to send their teams to Orissa. On 31 December 2007, Patnaik announced a compensation for the victims. “Rs 1 lakh compensation for the dead, Indira Awas Yojana houses for those who lost houses and Rs 10,000 for partially affected,” he said. But the victims are far from satisfied. Many who fled to jungles fearing for their lives are yet to return. For these people, whether Hindus or Christians, tribals or Dalits, the government's promises mean little. "I have lost everything in the riots. After the riots my sons are all missing leaving their family behind, starving,” says a victim Shanker Nayak. Christian activists are also in no mood to relent. On 31 December 2007, CBCI sought an "unbiased" inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. They also want an explanation for government inaction despite the warning of violence. Christians blame Hindu fundamentalists for the riots. “After Gujarat, it is Orissa's turn. Only in one place the Hindus have been attacked. Christians have not attacked Hindus anywhere else,” says Bhubaneswar Archbishop Rapheal Cheenath. However, the state government has a different story to tell. "We suspect Naxal involvement in the attacks, but we are not yet confirmed. Even yesterday we found guns from ordinary people in that area,” says DG Police, Orissa, Gopal Nanda. But the question remains why Naveen Patnaik government could not contain the violence for five days. Meanwhile, the CBCI has warned the situation would worsen unless immediate and urgent steps are taken. (Source: ibnlive dated 01 January 2008) |
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