Religious violence in Odisha
In December 2007, a series of severe communal violence occured against Christians in Phulbani, Daringbadi, Bamunigaon and Baliguda towns of Kandhamal district of Orissa. Government had to impose curfew in order to control the situation. [1] [2]
Background
The attacks were mainly targeted against Christian community and were alleged to be triggered after an assault on VHP leader Laxamanananda Saraswati, who leads an anti-conversion movement. [3]. 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. [4]
The violence
The outbreak 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 Fundamentalists 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 due permission of the administration. This was followed by exchange of hot words between two groups, as the Fundamentalists insisted to stop Christmas celebrations. 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 other lethal weapons like guns. Seeing the crowd coming to attack the people dispersed out of fear. The Fundamentalists began to destroy the shops of Christians. About fifteen shops were destroyed and looted. They also shot at Christian community by guns, badly injuring two of them. They also destroyed about fifteen shops belonging to the Christians and looted the property available. Several members of Ambedkar Baniko Sangho were beaten up by the mob.
On the second day, 25th December, the crowd came back and destroyed church buildings in Bamunigam area. Then they entered the Christian villages and burnt their houses and property. They were also threatened to leave their places. [5]
Response
The Prime Minister of India and other political parties condemned the violence. [6]
By December 29, 2007 nearly 700 persons, mostly Christians, had to move to government-run relief camps to avoid attacks by Hindu hard-liners in India. [7]
| Details | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Churches/Institution attacked, broken, and torched | 70 |
| Houses broken and torched | 600 |
| No of people affected by this attack | 5000 |
| Deaths | 6 |
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 [9]
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. [10]
References
- ^ "Violence continues at Orissa's Kandhamal district".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Access Date=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ "Curfew continues in four Orissa towns".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Access Date=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ "Christians fear attacks by Indian Hindus".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Suffering of Orissa's Christians Presented to National Human Rights Commission of India" (html) (Press release). All India Christian Council AICC. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 1-1-2008.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Memo to National Human Rights Commission on Orissa violence".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Date=ignored (|date=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ "Curfew continues in four Orissa towns".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Access Date=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ "Christians fear attacks by Indian Hindus".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Memo to National Human Rights Commission on Orissa violence".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Date=ignored (|date=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - ^ "Orissa violence: NCM seeks report". 12-27-2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "HRW seeks end to Hindu-Christian violence in Orissa". The Hindu. December 29, 2007.
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