US: Intl Religious Freedom calls State Dept on Orissa violence

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom called on the US Department of State to summon the Indian government to expedite its investigation and contain the anti–Christian rioting in Orissa.

“The reported acts of violence represent a troubling pattern of severe abuses in Orissa,” said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. “Both the state and central governments have a responsibility to protect every person’s right to religious freedom, including members of religious minorities, as guaranteed in international human rights instruments.”

The Orissa massacre following the murder of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati sparked a communal violence against the Christians, mostly the poor tribals, leading to the death of over 40 and fleeing of at least 50,000 local Christians.

Despite the state government’s imposition of a state–wide curfew and deployment of police forces and RAF, it has failed to protect the victims of the violence. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), in last two days over 4 churches have been burnt and several Christians injured.

EFI said Christian families including women and children covered the distance of 400kms from Kandhamal, the most affected area of violence, to Bhubaneshwar, to escape the fanatics. Since the roads were blocked they trekked jungles to reach Bhubaneshwar city.

In 2007, on a Christmas Eve, when Christians in the state was attacked by Hindu extremists in similar fashion, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom supported the National Commission on Human Rights sending a team to investigate the violence.

However, the recent outbreak of violence has forced the Commission to exert pressure on the State Department to follow up the investigations and take appropriate measures to address the situation.

“Because of the size and repeated nature of these attacks, these matters should not be left in the hands of state officials alone,” Gaer said. “The central government needs to be involved as the severity and extent of these attacks warrant a national–level investigation and response.”

Noting the failure of Orissa government to protect the religious minorities, Gaer said, “The Commission calls on the U.S. government to urge the Indian government to make more vigorous and effective efforts to stem violence and this includes fulfilling a 2004 pledge to criminalize inter–religious violence, and engaging in the preparation and training necessary to ensure that law enforcement officials can quell outbreaks of communal violence effectively."

"State governments must be held accountable for violence and other unlawful acts that occur in their states,” Gaer added.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organisations of North America (FIACONA) on Friday staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters and urged Secretary General Ban Ki–moon to look into the 'naked violation' of human rights of Christians in Orissa.

Holding placards with slogans that read 'Ban VHP,' 'Stop Burning Christians alive in Orissa,' and 'Deploy Army to Orissa to Christians,' the FIACONA activists staged a three hour protest outside the UN.

"By conducting a prayer vigil and writing to Ban, we seek to highlight the issue in the international arena. If India seeks to become a major player in the global arena, since it is a signatory to the human rights declaration, it should respect these sensibilities," said Bernard Malik, chief of FIACONA.

"UN is not a foreign body and India is very much part of it. Whether Mr Ban reads the letter or makes a statement on it not, it is not going to resurrect the dead Christians. India needs to own up to its responsibility in protecting its own citizens," he added.

FIACONA in a memorandum to Ban–Ki–moon urged him to look into the “crumbling of the very basis of the civilised society and the absolute degradation of the morals and values of co–existence and cooperation. All the Christians in India and the world look up to you for your valuable support to end the macabre and horrendous carnage of the Christians in Orissa.”
Abraham George, a senior UN Official and general secretary of the Indian National Overseas Congress, said that the latest reports suggest that over 30 people have been killed, schools, orphanages and churches vandalised, nuns raped and a woman set ablaze.
"What we are witnessing here is a complete failure of the government machinery headed by the Bajrang Dal and BJP combine, in protecting the innocent citizens of the state, where extremists are wreaking havoc by killing people and challenging the pluralistic character of the nation," Abraham lamented.