Kandhamal martyr remembered a year after death

Today, Oct. 28, one year has passed after Fr Bernard Digal succumbed to his injuries caused by severe beating during the 2008 Kandhamal violence.

Fr Digal was a victim of that barbarous violence on Aug. 25 triggered by the assassination of a Hindu seer and false rumors against Christians spread by Hindutva fundamentalists.

The Christian prelate was mercilessly beaten and left half-naked in the forest where he was found lying unconscious. Two months after suffering the agonizing torture, Fr Digal passed away as his lungs collapsed and he fell into a coma.

Digal's death has become a testimony of faith and sign of the risen Christ for his brethren, says Archbishop of Orissa Raphael Cheenath.

"His blood was shed for the Kandhamal in the true sense of the word, to encourage and support the faith of Christians today, and nourish the seeds of faith for future generations," he told AsiaNews as he recalled how the priest was beaten for hours with crowbars, lathis and wooden boards.

Fr Digal was the treasurer of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar archdiocese. In an interview before his death, he described how he was rounded up by an angry mob that beat him even after he pleaded for his life.

"I fell to the ground and they continued hammering me. Soon I saw blood flowing from my head and lost consciousness. They thought I was dead and left me," he said.

In his semi–conscious state, the priest said he thought he heard wolf cries and feared the animals would feed on him. "I thought I might not even get a burial. I prayed to the Lord."

Later some villagers rescued the priest and admitted him to a public health center in the village.

Meanwhile, the situation in Kandhamal is still grim. Archbishop Cheenath is apprehensive that the harsh reality of the attacks against Christians was still a fact today and has by no means solved. He perceives more violence even in the rest of the country as the "Sangh Parivar will not stop its plan to erase Christianity".

He condemned the Sangh Parivar for targeting the religious, especially those helping the needy, the marginalized and poor. "The extremists are opposed to the work of the missionaries because they contribute to the emancipation of the poor and neglected, freeing them from exploitation and oppression," he said.