CBCI demands CBI inquiry into Kandhamal violence

Displeased by the progress made by the judicial probe ordered by the Orissa government, the apex body of Catholic Church on Monday demanded a CBI inquiry into the Kandhamal violence.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is also demanding adequate compensation for those attacked by suspected saffron activists in Orissa's Kandhamal district and punishment for the perpetrators.

"We want a compensation for all our brothers who had faced the brunt of the communal forces. We also ask for an impartial CBI inquiry," Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack, said.

"We do not have faith in the judicial probe. Whoever probing it should not be an RSS man. We have objections to the probe ordered by the government and so we are seeking a CBI probe," he claimed.

"It's a poignant tale of atrocities, which our community has faced in past few days. We want strict action to be taken against all those who have held this perception that Christian community is a soft target," he said.

CBCI spokesperson Babu Joseph alleged that the government failed to act responsibly when the violence broke out on the Christmas eve, attacking Christians and churches. "Attackers were free to do whatever they wanted to," he said.