"Orissa violence not ethno-communal conflict, aimed at Christians"

Janardan Pati, the State Committee secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), accused the Orissa government for terming the communal violence in Kandhamal district as ethno-communal conflict.

Pati alleged that the state was not witnessing a two-sided attack, but was rather a well-engineered plan by the Hindutva forces against Christians. Members of the Christian community had not retaliated at any place, he said.

The politico accused the Orissa government for claiming Christians killed VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati for opposing forcible conversion of Hindus into Christianity. "Has the government ever received any complaint about forcible conversion?" he asked.

"The truth was that Christians were being converted to Hinduism by use of force," Pati said.

Rebuffing claims that violence was spontaneous reaction by the people opposing Saraswati's murder, he said, "The bandh on August 25 and the commotion that followed was limited to Kandhamal and fully supported by the government."

Earlier this week, All India Christian Council, a major advocacy group in the country confirmed, "Over 100 were killed in the Orissa violence against Christians." At least 24,000 Christians are still living in state run relief camps, they claimed.