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Communal violence between Hindu and Christian groups in the state of Orissa, India, has increased over the past decade. The tension in the region, amongst people of different caste and tribes, has been on a plethora of issues, some of which include economic challenges, caste inequality and religious intolerance. The major debate between the Hindu and the Christian communities has been the issue of religious conversion.

Missionaries in Orissa

Baptist Christian missionaries began their work in Orissa in 1822 during the British rule.

Orissa has been historically known in Europe as the region where the oft-mentioned Juggernaut (the chariot of the temple of Jagannath at Puri)is located. Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric visited India in the 14th Century and wrote about his visit to Puri in a journal, which he published in Europe later on. In his journal, Odoric wrote in detail about the huge chariot of Jagannath taken out annualy during the annual rathyatra. According to Odoric, the people were offering themselves as sacrifice to the the Hindu god. The Friar's account of the human sacrifice spread throughout Europe and by the 19th Century "juggernaut" began to be associated with a massive object, which destroyed everything in its path.

Orissa is one of the poorest regions of India. The missionaries have been very successful in several disticts of Orissa where the Christians now form a significant fraction of the population.

A description of the missionaries in Orissa in 1856 is provided by 0. R. Bachelor, how a local famine provided an opportunity to initiate an orphanage.

"OUR first missionaries. Brethren Phillips and Noyes, with their wives, having arrived in India, spent the first six months, while engaged in the study of the language, laboring in connection with the English General Baptist missionaries; ...They preached and distributed books as extensively as they were able, and there laid the foundation for our boarding-school system. Six starving children were given them by their parents or relatives, and with them our school commenced. ...Not long after, others were rescued from death, in a time of famine 5 and their number increased to fifty."

The missionaries found the local Brahmins to be opposed to their work:

"Another obstacle is found in the power and in fluence of the Brahmans, the hereditary priests of Hinduism. They are the most intelligent, the best educated, and the most influential class. ... They will oppose to the uttermost, both with their legitimate influence and their ecclesiastical authority, the introduction of a system that must necessarily subvert their power and deprive them of the support and confidence of the people."

This marked the beginning of the confrontation between the two communities.

Staines killing

Graham Staines was an Australian missionary working with the Evangelical Missionary Society of Mayurbhanj (EMSM). He managed the Mission at Baripada from 1983, and helped establish the Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home. He was a fluent Oriya speaker, who was popular among the patients whom he helped rehabilitate after being cured. On the night of January 22, 1999, he had attended an annual gathering of Christians in Keonjhar district. In the night he was sleeping in his station wagon when it was set afire by a Hindu mob. Graham and his two sons, 10-year-old Philip and six-year-old Timothy, were burnt alive.. The killings led to a nationwide uproar, with the needle of suspicion pointing to the involvement of the Bajrang Dal, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) affiliate. Its campaign against Christian missionaries for the alleged conversion of tribal people in the region apparently influenced Dara Singh and his apparent accomplice.

On September 22, 2003 an appointed court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sentenced Dara Singh to death and 12 others to life imprisonment for the murder of the Australian Graham Staines and his two minor sons, Phillip and Timothy. John Staines, elder brother of Graham Staines, demanded mercy for all the convicts. Even the widow of Graham Staines stated that she had forgiven the killers of her husband and two children. She said, "Forgiveness brings healing and our land India needs healing from hatred and violence. Forgiveness and the consequences of the crime should not be mixed up."

December 2007

Christmas violence

On December 22, 2007: the Church authorities informed the Sub-Collector that they apprehended trouble on Christmas and asked the district administration to take the necessary measures to prevent anti-social elements from exploiting the situation to create the trouble. Church authorities informed the Sub-Collector that the Kui Samaj had given a call for a bandh on 25-26 December to press their demands regarding various issues. They requested the district authorities to remain alert and preempt any trouble.

On 23 December 2007, Chrisitians of Brahmanigoan village tried to erect a gate in front of a hindu place of worship. This incident led to clashes between Christian and Hindu communities. Swami Lakshamananda who visited the site was attacked by a group of chrisitians. This led to further clashes between kondh tribals and christians.

Government had to impose curfew in order to control the situation.

The attacks occurred against Christian community and were triggered after an assault on VHP leader Laxamanananda Saraswati, who leads an anti-conversion movement. . The All India Christian Council claimed that the December 2007 attacks on Christians were not spontaneous but preplanned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva groups.. This was confirmed by the National Commission for Minorities report.

On December 23, 2007: Hindutva affiliated Adivasi organizations organized a march, rallying, "Stop Christianity. Kill Christians." Suspecting rising tension, some Dalit Christian leaders lodge a complaint with the Police for protection.

On 23 December 2007, Chrisitians of Brahmanigoan village tried to erect a gate in front of a Hindu place of worship. This incident led to a clash between Christian and Hindu communities. Swami Lakshamananda, who visited the site, was attacked by Christians. This led to further clashes between Kondh tribals and Christians.

On 24 December a group of 150-200 people started demanding that an arch put across the road by Christians should be removed in Brahmanigaon even though the Christian community had received official permission for putting up the pandal and for the use of loud speakers. The district administration confirmed the grant of permission. The outbreak of violence started on 24th December, 2007 at 8.00 a.m. at Bamunigam village, close to the police station under Daringibadi Block of Kandhamal District. Some Hindu activists forcefully removed the Christmas decoration, which the Ambedkar Baniko Sangho comprising the local Christian entrepreneurs, had put up as a preparation for Christmas, with the permission from the administration . This was followed by exchange of hot words between two groups. Within a few minutes a group of people who were stationed close by pounced on the members of Ambedkar Baniko Sangho with sticks, knives and guns. Two shots were fired into the air. People dispersed out of fear. About 20 shops belonging to Christians were destroyed. There was also widespread looting of property.

On the second day, 25th December, the crowd came back and destroyed church buildings in the Bamunigam area. Then they entered the Christian villages and burnt houses and property, telling the residents to leave. Many Sangh Parivar members bearing symbolic tilaks incited the local Hindus into rioting. The mob consisted of about 4,000 people. Official estimates stated that 20 per cent of the mob comprised people from Barkahama, 80 per cent from surrounding Baliguda, Raikia, Phulbani, as far away as Beherampur.

By December 29, 2007 nearly 700 persons, mostly Christians, had to move to government-run relief camps to avoid attacks.

By December 30, rioting started to get under control by the security forces such as the CRPF. For the first time since the violence started, church services were held under tight security. The total number of security personnel deployed was about 2,500 police and paramilitary. The total number of people taking shelter in relief camps increased to 1200.

On Jan 1, 2008 further violence was reported at several places Police said at least 20 houses and shops were torched at Phiringia, Khajuripada, Gochapada and Brahmanigaon by rioters on Tuesday night (January 1, 2008)

Response

The Prime Minister of India and other political parties condemned the violence.

Taking serious note of the attacks on churches and Christians in Orissa, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) sought a report from the state government on the violence in four towns of Kandhamal district

Organization such as the Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged that the December 2007 violence was in continuation to an "anti Christian" campaign being run by extremist Hindu groups for several years and that the government officials had been ignoring such injustice.

Union Home minister Shivraj Patil visited relief camps and promised compensation to the victims of the communal riot. He asked the Orissa Government, led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, to probe the riots instead of entirely depending on the reports of the judicial commission of inquiry. There were allegation that the pro BJP government of Orissa had been slow in reacting to violence.

The Orissa government ordered a Judicial enquiry on the violence. Retired justice of Orissa High Court Basudev Panigrahi, Panigrahi commission, will lead the commission that would probe the incidents under the commission of inquiry act.

A three-member fact finding committee, led by National Integration Council,strongly criticized the ruling BJD- BJP government in Orissa state, saying that it (Orissa government) had shown callous indifference to a tragedy that was waiting to happen.

National Commission for Minorities report

The National Commission for Minorities, a body constituted by the Government of India to monitor and evaluate the progress of people classified as minorities by the Indian government. The minorities commission was given the task of analyzing the facts that emerged as a aftermath of the December 2007 Christmas violence.
The report concluded: :

1. Throughout the fact finding mission one question rose again and again and this was whether the choice of 25th December for holding a bandh by the Kuis was a mere co-incidence. A second bandh called by Swami Lakshmananda to protest the attack on his car was also fixed for the same day. We find it difficult to believe that this too was entirely fortuitous. The authorities were warned well in advance by the Christians that trouble was brewing during the Christmas season. In this background it is extremely difficult to understand why the district authorities did not take active steps to defiuse the situation and ensure that peace was maintained.

2. The official accounts sought to stress the complexity of the situation in Kandhamal district and attributed the violence to the confusion over the High Court Order on the inclusion of SC Christians in the ST category which is vehemently opposed by the Kui tribes in the area. The situation is certainly complex and overlaid with multi-layered contradictions. The conflation of castetribe-communal issues has contributed to the aggravation of social conflicts in this area. But none of this complexity detracts from the principal issue which is that the Christian minority was the target of organised attacks. The State agencies if they had been vigilant could have prevented the violence arising out of the two bandhs on Christmas.

3. The State Government must look into the speeches of Swami Lakshmananda to determine whether they amount to incitement to violence and take appropriate action.

4. The State Government must issue a White Paper on the conversion issue to dispel fears and suspicions that have been assiduously raised about the Christian community and the role of its institutions.

5. Rehabilitation package announced by the Orissa Government needs to be reviewed to provide rehabilitation keeping in view the actual loss suffered by the victims of violence.

6. Augmenting the number of police personnel and providing them with adequate training and equipment was also imperative. Moreover for reasons that have not been explained the State Government was reluctant in reaching out to civil society and NGOs working as they do work at the grassroots can provide authorities with advance information about simmering tension and co-operate in the prevention of such incidents.

7. Orissa does not have a State Minorities Commission. The State Government must take the necessary steps to set up a statutory Minorities Commission for safeguarding the rights of minorities.

8. The confusion created by the High Court Order needs to be swiftly cleared to prevent further outbreak of tensions between STs and SCs. The government must address the obvious tensions that will arise from the different treatment given in the matter of reservation to Christians belonging to the SC community and the ST community. If Christian tribals are backward Christian SCs are no less so. To create an artificial distinction between the two is simply to communalise poverty and drive a wedge between two homogenous groups who are among the most deprived. The group therefore, recommends that the reservation given to Christian tribals should be extended to cover Christian SCs who are of exactly the same background and are subject to exactly the same disadvantage.

9. None of the above must detract from the social and economic backwardness of the district. Every indicator points to acute poverty, illiteracy, ill-health, lack of infrastructure, in short, an absence of development. Nearly two thirds of the people in this district live below the poverty line. Even as the authorities are called upon to show greater vigilance to prevent the outbreak of violence, the Government must urgently address issues of social exclusion and structural inequities.

10. The terrible fact remains that in parts of Orissa Christians were unable to celebrate their most important festival. By preventing Christians from celebrating Christmas, the VHP and its affiliates have ensured that the minority should not be in a position to enjoy the rights guaranteed to it by the Constitution. The action of such forces is blot on the Republic a matter which deserves more attention and consideration from authorities both at the level of State and Centre.

August 2008 violence

Kandhmal background

The Kandhamal district has 600,000 people of which 150,000 are Christians. Kandhamal has two different communities - the Kandha tribe and Paana caste. The Kandha tribe is 80% of the population and the rest belong to the scheduled caste Paana. Kandhas are socially and economically backward while most Paanas have been improving economically. Paanas have also embraced Christianity in significant numbers.

Lakshmanananda Murder

On Saturday, August 23, 2008, the 85 year old VHP leader Swami Lakshmananand Saraswati was killed at his Jalespata ashram in Kandhamal district in Orissa, along with 4 disciples including a minor and a woman monk on the day of Krishna Janmashtami.

On the night of the killing, Orissa Director General of Police, Gopal Chandra Nanda, said:

“From the automatic weapons used it looks like the handiwork of Maoists”

On Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police Intelligence, Manmohan Praharaj, gave an update, saying:

“Whatever evidence we have got is consistent with the Maoist stamp in the kind of operation they undertake. The assailants had left a note written on the letterhead of Vamsadhara Zonal Committee, signed by one Azad, and it is consistent with the Maoist methods,”

On the following Saturday, an interview with Azad, a leader of the Maoist People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, was published in a leading Orissa newspaper . In the interview, Azad claimed responsibility for the killing of Saraswati, saying "We killed Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati to avenge his villainous role in Kandhmal".

Police have accused Azad of leading the attack himself and the government has opened a special investigation into the murders. Other sources within the police force say the Maoists could have carried out the operation to appease their Christian support base.

However, Hindu groups in the state blamed Christians for killing Saraswati because of his opposition to religious conversion. Christian organisations, however, deny this claim. RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav on a CNN-IBN debate said that the police had arrested workers of World Vision, a Christian organization, for the killing. However, Deputy Inspector General (Southern Range) R.P. Koche in Bhubaneshwar categorically denied this and claimed that those were preventive arrests for interrogation. Jayakumar Christian ,the executive director of World Vision, India claimed that two employees were only given shelter in a police station for their own safety (“Orissa violence: lies and media reports”, by Vishal Arora, The Hoot, Aug. 28, 2008).

India Today reported on 5 September 2008 that an NGO, Justice on Trials, had dismissed claims of Maoist involvement in Lakshmananda's murder. In January 2008, a fact finding commission, chaired by Additional Advocate General of Rajasthan G.S.Gill, toured the areas affected by the 2007 Christmas violence. Their report, published in February 2008, quoted Lakshmananda as saying that Christians missionaries were trying to eliminate him for his opposition to conversion, and had attacked 8 times before.

Aftermath

After the killing of Swami Lakshmananda, the VHP called for a statewide shutdown on Monday, August 25, 2008. On the same day, protesters burnt alive a 20-year-old woman in a christian orphanage at Khuntpalli village in Bargarh district. .

State wide the protest by VHP and Bajrang Dal turned violent and led to widespread persecution of Christians. Many churches, prayer houses and other Christian institutions were attacked in Kandhamal, Bargarh, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Boudh, Sundargarh, Kendrapada, Bolangir and Jajpur districts. The events appeared to be instigated by statements made by leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council). Amit Sharma of the VHP said Hindu people in the area had taken the death of the Swami "very seriously, and now they are going to pay them back."

A curfew was imposed in all towns in Kandhamal. Despite this, large-scale violence and arson continued in Phulbani, Tumudibandh, Baliguda, Udaygiri, Nuagaon and Tikabali towns. The situation was so volatile that Minister of State for Home, Prakash Jaiswal, and other Congress leaders, who had arrived to visit the riot hit areas, were told by the state government that they could not do so and had to return to New Delhi.

By August 29, 2008 at least 20 people were killed and 3000 people were reported to be living in government run relief camps. 1000 homes had been set on fire. Many others had to flee into jungle, living without food or water. All nine towns in the district were under a curfew, and the police have license to shoot.

On August 31, 2008 violence continued in several parts of the state. As a result curfew was imposed in Jeypore town of Orissa's Koraput district. Five police personnel were injured in mob violence. The state government sought additional para military forces to combat the continung violence.

On September 1, 2008 Government of Orissa claimed the situation was under control. However, 558 houses and 17 places of worship were burnt in communal riots. 543 houses were burnt in the worst hit Kandhamal district. 12,539 people were fed in 10 relief camps, 783 people got the facilities in two relief camps in Rayagada district. In all, 12 companies of para-military forces, 24 platoons of Orissa State Armed Police, two sections of Armed Police Reserve forces and two teams of Special Operation Group (SOG) were deployed to control the riots. BBC reported that more than 10,000 Christians are living in refugee camps setup by government.

On September 7, 2008 VHP leader Praveen Togadia threatend to launch an All-India agitation, if the killers of Laxmananand were not arrested.

Political Fallout

The ruling government of Orissa, headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was a coalition of the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In the 147-member state assembly the BJD-BJP combine has 93 members, 32 of whom are from the BJP.

Some BJP legislators blamed the government for not providing adequate protection to Saraswati, despite other attempts on his life. They called for withdrawing support from the government, which would lead to its collapse.

On Wednesday September 4, 2008, India's Supreme Court ordered eastern Orissa state to report on steps taken to stop a wave of anti-Christian rioting that has claimed at least 16 lives. The supreme court also asked the Naveen Patnayak government to file an affidavit by September 4 explaining the circumstances under which it allowed VHP leader Praveen Togadia to carry out a procession with the Saraswati's ashes, an act that would clearly inflame further communal tension.

Response

 India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the Orissa violence a "shame" and offered all help from the Centre to end the communal clashes and restore normalcy. He said he would speak to Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik to urge him to take all necessary steps to end the violence.

The church network - including the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, the Evangelical Fellowship of India and the National Council of Churches in India - organized for all Christian institutions to remain closed on August 29, 2008 in protest. The All India Christian Council(AICC)also planned a sit-in outside the Orissa House in New Delhi on the same day.

 Vatican City On Wednesday August 27, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the violence and expressed solidarity with the priests and nuns being victimized. He "firmly condemned" the violence and called upon Indian religious and civil authorities "to work together to restore peaceful co-existence and harmony between the different religious communities." In doing so he said: "I learnt with great sorrow the information concerning the violence against the Christian community in Orissa which broke out after the reprehensible assassination of the Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati."

Human Rights Watch expressed extreme dismay on the mob violence against Christians instigated by the VHP. The organization also expressed concern on the state government's lack of intervention in the situation since the christmas violence.

 Italy's Foreign Ministry called on India's ambassador to demand ‘incisive action’ to prevent further attacks against Christians.

The National Human Rights Commission of India(NHRC) sought a report from the Orissa government on the ongoing communal violence in the state.

 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) an independent federal agency advising the US administration has demanded the Indian authorities take immediate steps to quell the violence and order a probe to find out the perpetrators of the attacks.

"The continuing attacks targeting Christians represent the second major outbreak of religious violence in Orissa since December which underlines the pressing need for Indian government to develop preventive strategies," the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said. "Both state and central governments are responsible to protect every person's right to religious freedom, including members of religious minorities, as guaranteed in international human rights instruments," Commission Chair Felice D Gaer said in a statement.

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External links

• Blind Faith? Fragile Peace Blown to Bits", CNN-IBN debate, Aug. 26, 2008, 10 p.m. broadcast time IST
• Indian State Struck by Rioting, WSJ article
• Pictures of Violence in Orissa, Reuters
• Christians cower from Hindu backlash in India's east, Reuters article, Sept 03,2008
• Violence in India Is Fueled by Religious and Economic Divide, New York Times,Sept 03,2008
• Who’s the real Hindu?
• India: where Christians are a target for the religious murder mobs, Times online, September 6, 2008
• In the name of God, From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 36, Dated Sept 13, 2008

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from September 2008
• Religious violence in India