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Orissa in grip of anti-Christian violence |
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Written by Correspondent
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
 Bhubaneswar: The activists belonging to the Sangh Parivar have unleashed an orgy of violence against the Christian community in Kandhamal district and other parts of Orissa in the wake of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Lakshmanananda and four of his associates, with the death toll going up to 10.
While an inmate of the orphanage was burnt alive, a nun was gang-raped, a priest was seriously injured, and scores of churches and other properties of the Christian community damaged. The nun was burnt alive when a group of Vishwa Hindu Parishad mob stormed the orphanage she ran in the district of Bargarh. A priest who was in the orphanage was also badly injured in the attack.
Another nun working at Jan Vikas Kendra, a Social Service Centre at Nuagaon in Kandhamal under the Cuttack Bhubaneswar diocese was reportedly gang-raped by Hindutva extremists before destroying the building.
Fr Thomas, the Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Kanjimendi, less than a km away from the Social Service Centre, and another nun were injured when the centre was attacked. They were taken to the police station as the armed mob bayed for their blood. The Pastoral centre was then set afire.
The violent mob attacked and destroyed a presbytery, convent and hostel damaging the properties in Balliguda. They caught hold of two boys of a Catholic hostel and tonsured their heads.
The violent mob damaged the Catholic Church in Phulbani. They attacked the Mother Teresa Brothers' residence and hospital in Srasanada and beat up the patients. The hospital was rebuilt only two months ago.
The violent mob made several attempts to enter the compounds of the Catholic Church and the Archbishop's house in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. They could not enter because of the police presence. They threw stones at the guesthouse of the Archbishop's House, damaging the windows.
Another group of fundamentalists entered a presbytery in Duburi parish, managed by the SVD community and destroyed property. Two priests of the parish are reported to be still missing. Jamaj Pariccha, the Director of Gramya Pragati, was attacked and his vehicle and other properties looted and damaged. A Baptist Church in Akamra Jila in Bhubaneswar was also damaged.
In the adjoining Boudh district, the fundamentalists entered a Catholic church and destroyed the property. They also damaged Muniguda Catholic Fathers and Nuns' residence and Sambalpur HM Sister's residence (Ainthapalli). At Padanpur, they attacked a priest who had to be admitted in hospital.
Small churches in various districts, including Padampur, Sambalpur near GM College, Talsera, Dangsoroda, Narayanipatara, Muniguda, Tummiibandh, Tangrapada, Phulbani, Balliguda, Kalingia, Chakapad, Srasanranda bore the brunt of the violent fury. The hooligans attacked the houses of Christians in the forest hamlets of Balliguda, Kanjamandi Nuaguam (K Nuaguam), Tiangia (G Udayagiri), Padangiri and Tikabali.
They attacked Pastor Sikandar Singh of the Pentecostal Mission and set fire to his residence in Bhawanipatna. At Kharihar, they attacked three Christian shops, then looted some of the goods and burned the rest. They beat up Pastor Alok Das and Pastor IM Senapati. At Aampani, they attacked Pastor David Diamond Pahar, Pastor Pravin, Pastor Pradhan and Pastor Barik and chased them away with their families.
They chased away more than 3500 Christians out of their homes into nearby jungles from Bapuria and five other villages under Raikia Police Station in G Udayagiri block. They raised to the ground more than 100 houses and three churches in Raikia block.
Shoot at sight ordered
Shoot-at-sight order was issued in many areas of Kandhamal district on 27 August 2008 as large number of people defied curfew at several places and indulged in arson, official sources said. "We have issued shoot-at-sight order in the wake of large scale violence in some curfew-bound areas of Kandhamal district," Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Southern division, Satyabrata Sahu said.
The order was issued after a large number of people armed with sticks and crude weapons defied curfew restrictions and indulged in arson and violence in several places between Baliguda and Udaygiri, he said.
Widespread violence also took place in Raikia area where two persons were critically injured in an attack by a mob, said Sahu, who has been camping in the communally sensitive district.
Residence of former Director General of Police John Nayak was attacked by a mob at Raikia, he said adding that the administration has received information about a large number of families from Raikia taking shelter in forest areas.
Although unconfirmed reports put the toll at 14, officials confirmed 10 deaths in the violence after the killing of Laxmanananda Saraswati at Jalespeta in Tumudibandh. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 August 2008 )
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