Orissa: Kargil hero feels abandoned

In the cold and sloppy mountains of Kargil, he stood firm and fought for his nation, protecting and securing freedom for its people irrespective of caste and creed. However sadly, this war hero could not save his own family, one being his paralytic brother who was burnt alive during the course of violence against Christians by Hindu fanatics in Orissa.

A violent mob set his house on fire in Rupagaon Village on August 26. As other members of the family managed to escape to the nearby jungles, the flames consumed Motilal’s paralytic brother Rasananda Pradhan and killed him alive.

When one thousand strong crowd armed with weapons started to descend on his brothers village of Gadragam on August 24th, terrified Christians in the village began running for their lives, even as fanatic Hindus ravaged and plundered everything of the Christians.

His brother, who was paralyzed due to a stroke eight years ago, could not run for cover and the mob caught hold of him.

"In film style, they challenged us to come forward and save him if we were bold enough. We had to watch him being burnt alive. We could not even go near to get his body," Pradhan, a Baptist church member, told Ecumenical News International in an interview.

"Around 300 people came shouting 'Jai Bajrang Bali and Jai Shri Ram'. Later I saw the people in the mob who were mostly from our village pour petrol on my brother and set him on fire as he kept pleading", said Rabindranath Paradhan, brother of the deceased.

"I have fought the Kargil war, I have fought for my country in North East. I am fully committed to my duty. Can’t my government do this much for my dead brother? Cant it give me justice?" questions Pradhan, who is a soldier in the Indian Army.

"I have fought against ULFA (the Assam militant group), served in insurgency–infested Baramulla region and fought in Drass sector during the Kargil War. We were called Drass Devils," he told as he stood in the middle of the government–run refugee center – one of the two such centers – in Bhubaneswar. There are around 500 others like him at the center.

"But now," Motilal said, "I cannot return to my own village." Motilal and several others have got a message from his village: “reconvert to Hinduism and then think of returning to Gadragaon.”

Even though many people died, Motilal was the first person that received armed escorts by the district administration for the decent funeral of his brother.

Though police have managed to arrest two persons, it is going to be long battle for Motilal to get justice for his brother.

A makeshift relief camp run by YMCA located in Bhubaneshwar has become a place of refugee and shelter for Pradhan.

The violence sparked by the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in Orissa, has claimed dozens of innocent lives and has forced thousands to flee to forests. Over 18,000 people living in relief camps, still fear more backlash and are reluctant to return to their villages.