Orissa has become another laboratory of Hindutva fundamentalism. The attack against Christian community on Christmas day proves this fact. This is almost similar or even brutal than what had happened in Dangs in Gujarat and Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh.

Kandhamal is one of the most backward districts in Orissa. This district got its name from the inhabitants Kandhas. Since many years there has been a dispute between Adivasis and Dalits. Both these communities speak Kui language. The Dalits are demanding that all those who speak the language should be given reservation rights of Scheduled Tribes. But the Adivasis are against this. The demand got prominence when JB Patnaik, the Chief Minister backed them. The seed of this Adivasi-Dalit conflict was sown by the Congress Party. The Christians constituting 2.4 per cent of the population are mostly Dalits and are the second largest religious group in the State. In Kandhamal district, Dalit population is around 16.89 per cent. This gave a chance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to give a communal colour to the whole episode.

Biju Janata Dal leader and former minister of Coal and Mines Padmanabha Behra and ex- IAS officer and Congress Rajya Sabha member RK Nayak are the important leaders of Dalit Community. Naturally, Adivasi leaders are against these influential politicians. BJP’s sole aim was to catch the fish in troubled waters. Standing by the side of Adivasis can give the BJP three important gains. In Kandhamal district, its ally BJD is the major force. Minister Behra is behind this gain. So BJP wants to cut him to size. If they can demolish the image of RK Nayak, the Dalit Christian Congress leader in the district, they can contain the lone opposition voice. They can crush the Christian community under the smokescreen of Dalit-Adivasi conflict.

The Kui Samaj coordination committee called for a bandh on 25 and 26 December 2007 in Kandhamal district. According to their chairman Lambodar Kahar, there was no intention to block Christmas celebrations. The real aim was to block the 10^th anniversary rally of BJD in Bhubaneswar. The  RSS-Bajrang Dal and VHP made silent preparations for an attack against Christians in a big way. Scuffle began at Brahmanigaon on 24 December 2007 morning itself. Christians in that village began preparations and decorations on that day morning. A group of RSS activists objected to that.

Kishore Singh, a Christian youth in Brahmanigaon, says, “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists destroyed the decorations at 10.30 am. VHP leader and anti-conversion campaigner Swami Lakshmananda Saraswathi had deliberately fixed a programme in Brahmanigaon on the same day. On the way to this village near the Dasingabadi, Swami’s vehicle was attacked. But that is not the cause for the clash. Without knowing of this attack, RSS hooligans destroyed the decorations. Next day the church was demolished. Subsequently scores of Hindu houses were also burned.”

Kandhamal riots were not unexpected. Laxmananda Saraswati has been overseeing Hinduisation in this district since 1970. Swami hails from Khurda, established an Ashram at Chakapada in 1968. But he was forced to leave the place. After two years he came back and settled thereafter. Adivasis, Dalit Christians, Muslims are targeted by forced reconversion and social and economic boycotts. Since 1990, Swami has been actively involved in VHP activities. He spews venom against Muslims and Christians in his speeches. On 8 January 1999 Australian missionary Graham Steins and his two minor children were killed brutally by a Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh. Another priest Arul Das was also murdered in Mayurbanj district. In 2004, Raikia Catholic Church in Kandhamal district was demolished and some houses of Christians burnt. In 2005, hundreds of Dalit Christians were reconverted to Hinduism under his leadership. Present Phulbani Lok Sabha member Sugreev singh is also a reconvert. To turn India into a complete Hindu country has been the dream of Saraswathi. In 2006 he organised a Hindu maha sammelan at his Ashram in Chakapada. Between July-December 2007 Swami criss-crossed Kandhamal district raising anti-Christian feelings.

In this surcharged atmosphere, the Sangh Parivar used Brahmanigaon incident to demolish Christian churches and institutions. From Phulbani to Barkama and Tikabali, one could see many demolished churches and institutions. Beliguda is the worst affected area. Here the church, seminary, convent and Carmal school were burned. Barkama, Srasananda, Bijli Mandi, Shankarakola also have experienced the same.

In all of these attacks, one can easily find a pattern. Firstly, RSS-Bajrang Dal hooligans broke the compound wall. After that they raised ‘Jai Sreeram’ slogans and forced the inmates to flee. Then they began to break glass panes of windows and doors. They stole expensive and easily movable goods like TV, stereo, and computer. All other heavy materials like refrigerator and furniture were burned by kerosene and petrol. They even used gas cylinders for this purpose. Sisters of Shankarakola asserted that they even used rifles. Food materials were also burned or poisoned.

All these instances clearly indicate a well thought out plan behind this attack. “It is not an accident,” asserts Sister Christa of Beliguda Carmal Convent. Her institution has been burnt completely. They lost property worth Rs 2 crore. The real intention of the Sangh Parivar was to destroy the entire infrastructure of Christian community and force them to flee.

For three consecutive days, law and order was under the control of Sangh Parivar. Christian Community was forced to live in forests. Only in the daytime they were allowed to visit their houses and institutions. Even now the priests and nuns are receiving threatening calls. The administration has failed to provide security to this needy people. Inactiveness of the Navin Patnaik Government is clearly visible. Even before Christmas, Christian religious leaders pleaded for adequate security for their celebrations. But the BJP-BJD Government did nothing. If the Government had taken action on the first day itself, casualties would have been minimum. The main opposition Congress Party remained a mere on-looker.