Church in the World

Orissa Christians flee violent attacks after Hindu leader’s killing

Some 50,000 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa have been forced to flee their homes to escape a campaign of violence waged against them by Hindu fundamentalists, according to Indian church sources.

More than 4,000 houses have been destroyed and 100 churches burned, the Orissa Archbishop, Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, said. At least 25 Christians are reported to have been killed, while two nuns have been raped and two priests seriously injured.

"The situation is awful," said Archbishop Cheenath, whose archdiocese includes one of the worst affected districts, Kandhamal. He said that armed Hindu groups were forcing "Christians that they can catch hold of" to sign declarations that said they would abandon their faith. "And to prove [they have renounced their faith], the Christians are also being forced to destroy Christian houses or churches," he added. Many priests have taken refuge in the Kandhamal forests, he said. 

The violence erupted following the murder of a popular Hindu leader, Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, and five of his monks in Kandhamal on 23 August. Although Maoist rebels claimed responsibility for the murders, Hindu extremist groups blamed them on Christians and began attacking Christian targets across the state, which is run by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Churches shut down all the 30,000 Christian schools and colleges in the country on 29 August in protest against the violence.

One of the injured priests, Fr Thomas Chellen, director of the Pastoral Centre at Konjamendi, was assaulted by a mob on 25 August. "They poured kerosene on my head and one held a matchbox in his hands to light the fire. But thanks to divine providence, in the end, they did not do that," he said from his hospital bed.

The priest said he witnessed his assistant nun being raped in front of him. The pastoral centre, which could accommodate 200 people, had been torched the previous day.

On Monday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh broke his silence over the violence, calling it a "national disgrace" and asked the Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik to stamp out the anti-Christian rioting and punish those responsible for murder and arson. "The central Government has taken a very serious notice of the happenings in Orissa," an official statement said.

The Prime Minister also offered a package of assistance to the families of people who have lost their lives and those rendered destitute. The package, drawing on the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, included support for the homeless and funds for repair of houses damaged, including orphanages. Mr Singh said Mr Patnaik had given an assurance of "firm action" to deal with the situation.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India wrote to the president and Government of India, appealing for the protection for victims of the violence, and demanding a full inquiry. A fifth of Kandhamal's population of around 500,000 are Christians and half the Christian population is Catholic.

Meanwhile, the head of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, asked all Italian dioceses to observe a day of prayer and fasting to show their spiritual closeness and solidarity with Catholics in India. Most dioceses were due to observe the day yesterday at memorial Masses in honour of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

n Caritas India is providing relief supplies to 45,000 families in the impoverished state of Bihar where severe flooding has left 2.5 million people homeless. Cafod's programme manager for India, Mary Lucas, said: "The immediate need is rescue and evacuation as villages are being cut off. There is also a need for food, medical assistance and shelter. The situation is grim and seems to be getting out of control."