Fresh violence kills 3 in Orissa; Situation out of control says Archbishop

Fresh violence erupted in Orissa's Kandhamal district has killed three people and injured several others as more churches and Christians are being attacked by staunch Hindu radicals.

Violence broke out at Rudangia village in the district after Hindus attacked Christians, setting fire to their houses and burning a church, according to district collector Krishan Kumar. Clashes were sparked by religious conversion in tribal areas by many Christian missionaries, he added.

On Monday, police fired at a mob when crude bombs were hurled on houses and relief camps.

Two crude bombs exploded in separate incidents at Baliguda and K Nuagaon areas on Sunday night, five houses were reportedly torched under Gochhapada police station area in Phirigia block, officials said.

Christian Today learned that a series of blasts rocked the relief camps in several areas, triggering panic among the inmates.

Senior police officials in charge of security, however, were yet to ascertain who executed the explosions.

Last week, Orissa's government requested 1,000 more paramilitary personnel for deployment in sensitive areas of the district. The state already has around 5,000 paramilitary force personnel.

Orissa government has termed the situation in Kandhamal as ‘very tense’. “The situation in Kandhamal is very tense,” Chief Secretary Ajit Tripaty said.

Meanwhile Global Council of Indian Christians, an advocacy group based in Bangalore, said a Catholic nun died of malaria yesterday.

"Sister Mable, died on Sept 28th, of malaria which she contracted hiding in the jungle for over 3 weeks, as the radicals brutalized and tortured Christians," GCIC said.

It was also reported that, three Christians were found dead near a river in Bisipada village.

The bodies were spotted in Badasalunki river by some villagers in the afternoon. Two of three bodies were said to be of a Christian couple who lived in Sankarakhol area of the district. The victims were missing since Thursday.

Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Cuttack–Bhubaneswar, has described the situation in Kandhamal as "out of control".

“My impression is that the State government is trying its best to cover up the violence by giving the impression that the normalcy has been restored, and that there is no need for further action,” he said adding, “State and Central governments have been insensitive and injustice to the persecuted tribal Christians.”

According to the Archbishop, the Sangh Parivar has “issued a fatwa” that by September 30, residents must return to their villages to be re–converted to Hinduism. “I am issuing a letter that will be distributed to Christians telling them not to worry and to be firm. No conversion is valid unless it is free. A document signed under threat is not valid.”

The Archbishop is also planning to call a meeting of Bishops and heads of religious groups to organise a rally in Bhubaneswar protesting the grave violence against Christians in Kandhamal.

The region has been witnessing communal violence since Aug 23, when VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his aides were shot dead by unidentified men. Police suspected Maoist rebels but many Hindus in the region blamed Christians.

Recently, allegations of "forced conversions" by Hindu radicals have flared up the persecution of Christian missionaries, who have been very active in education, health and social sectors. Christian missionaries have played a pivotal role in India’s growth and developments. The country has approximately 24 million Christians, constituting 2.3% of India's population.