Strong Christian Call for Reconciliation and Justice in Kandhamal, India

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Dr. John Dayal

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Feb 6, 2010, 4:46:11 AM2/6/10
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Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar

Archbishop’s House, 9/16 Satyanagar, Bhubaneswar – 751007, Ph. 0674
2575225, Email: crcd...@yahoo.com

PRESS STATEMENT
Saturday, 6th February 2009

Archbishop Cheenath’s call for full reconciliation in Kandhamal
through justice; deep concern at slow pace of reconstruction and
rehabilitation; Cynical authorities diverting issues from restoring
human dignity of the 2008 anti- Christian violence survivors

[The following is the statement of His Grace Raphael Cheenath, SVD
Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar at a Press Conference today on the
current situation in Kandhamal, Orissa and issues of rehabilitation
and reconciliation and justice in the District. The press conference
was also addressed by Dr John Dayal, Member, National Integration
Council, and Secretary General, All India Christian Council.]


Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, the senior Church leader of Orissa, said
today that despite the claims of the state and district
administrations, the human dignity, rights and life of the Christian
victims of the 2008 violence remained far from normal. Fifteen months
after they were uprooted, thousand still live in makeshift shanties
along the road, and in the forests, with no seeming hope of
rehabilitation, and harassed daily by Block and panchayat officials
and the police. Hundreds of babies have been born in these conditions.
“We want full reconciliation and lasting peace in Kandhamal which will
be possible when justice is transparent, lives are rebuilt and people
return to their own villages without fear. We do not want any
ghettoisation in the district.”

He faulted the attitude of the authorities on three major issues – the
criminal justice dispensation system in the Fast Track courts which
was being subverted by terrorising of witnesses and shoddy
investigations, the utter inadequacy of government assistance in
rebuilding houses, and the absence of genuine employment, livelihood
and education schemes. It may be recalled the present District
collector was very much on duty and present at the spot with the
Deputy Inspector General and other top police officers when the
violence started, and the mob attacked the Phulbani Church in the
District headquarters.

The Church, which had received no assistance at all in rebuilding its
own places of worship social development institutions, had extended
great help, but the task was far too big for non government
organisations. “It needs political will to implement special schemes
by the government. We are willing to help to the best of our ability
and resources,” he assured the government. But, he said, he would have
no hesitation in again approaching the Orissa High Court at Cuttack
and the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi if the misery of the
people was not ameliorated. They cannot be allowed to live through
another summer and other monsoons without a shelter over their heads.
The victims need sympathy but administration is raising all sorts of
rules and regulations in the matter of relief and rehabilitation.
Various human rights groups have warned of trafficking in young girls
of the district.

Initially, 10 to 11,000 families were displaced from their homes by
the violence. An estimated 1,200 families have migrated from the
immediate area, many of them to Bhubaneswar or to other states in
India. Over 6,000 refugees are living in the Saliasahi slums of
Bhubaneswar, the State capital, and tens of thousands are working as
labour in Andhra and other states, some as far away as Kerala and
Punjab. 200-300 families continue to reside in private displacement
camps in the district. At least 4,400 families continue to live in
tents, makeshift shelters or the remnants of their damaged houses. The
remainder of families have returned either to their villages or near
their villages. The numbers who have received financial assistance
from the government or the church or NGOs is not known for certain,
but is believed to be 1,100.

The Dalit Christians remain the worst sufferers and have been denied
employment, land and other entitlements. The state government’s
schemes announced by the Chief Minister must embrace all communities.
This is so even in the employment of Special Police Offices, SPOs,” he
said. The District Collector has no hope to offer to the Dalits.

In the violence between 25the August and December 2008, as many as
5347 houses were looted and destroyed by fire, many women and girls
were raped, and more than 75 people were murdered in the name of
religion and ethnicity. Large-scale displacement and migrations
followed with over 54,000 people becoming refugees in their own
motherland. The administration arbitrarily fixed Rs 50,000 for fully
destroyed houses, even though the reconstruction cost of even a simple
house was from Rs 85,000 upwards. Similarly the administration
arbitrarily designated fully destroyed houses as partial-damaged
category with much lower relief. Most houses are indeed fully damaged
and we want the administration to give full compensation.

The Church is helping towards minimum support of as many as 2,500
houses, but even after this, 3,000 families remain homeless. So far
the Catholic Church has helped 181 fully damaged houses and 546 partly
damaged houses. Building materials have been distributed over to 752
families and the work in progress in Raikia and Nuagam Blocks only.
Even though we do not have exact statistics regarding the victims who
have returned to their villages and settled down, a rough guess would
be that, about one third of 54,000 Christians displaced due to
violence, have returned to their villages, despite the claim of the
administration. Some of them just do not want to go aback for fear as
they are being threatened to become Hindus if they want to come back
home. Many affected households are yet to be enlisted in the
government list for compensation depriving them all the support and
rehabilitation. There is gross malpractice due to corrupt and
indifference attitude of the local officials

Justice is critical to long term peace. The two Fast Track Courts, and
the Court premises, have seen a travesty of justice. Witnesses are
being coerced, threatened, cajoled and sought to be bribed by
murderers and arsonists facing trial. The court premises are full of
top activists of fundamentalist organizations. The witnesses are also
threatened in their homes with elimination, and even their distant
relatives are being coerced specially in the murder and arson cases
against Legislative Assembly Member Manoj Pradhan. Though some
witnesses have deposed strongly on his involvement in the crimes, he
has been let off in case after case.

We are demanding a Special Investigation team to investigate every
case of murder and arson. Similarly, there is also need for
transferring the cases against politically powerful persons such as
Manoj Pradhan, MLA, to outside Kandhamal, preferably to Cuttack or
Bhubaneswar.

We are deeply concerned the high rate of acquittals in the fast Track
courts. The victims filed 3,232 Complaints in the police stations of
Kandhamal. Of these, the police registered cases in only 832
instances. As many as 341 cases were in G Udaigiri alone, 98 in
Tikabali and 90 in Raikia, followed by the others. Even out of this
small number, only 123 cases were transferred to the two Fast Track
Courts. So far 71 cases have been tried in the two courts, and 63
cases have been disposed off. Of these, conviction is only in 25
cases, and even that is partial as most of the accused have not been
arrested or brought to trial. Only 89 persons have been convicted so
far while as many as 251 have been acquitted and set free for want to
witnesses against them. Among them is Manoj Pradhan. It is strange
that in the case of ten deaths by murder, nine cases have been closed
without anybody being convicted while there has been partial
conviction in the case of one death. Who will bring justice in the
case of the nine murder cases?

We demand that independent lawyers be associated with the Special
Public Prosecutors who are overworked. The witnesses and the victims
need full legal help so that the cases can be pursued with vigour and
justice is available.

Compensation, Employment and Land issues: The compensation package
declared by the State Government is very meagre, which is not
sufficient for the house construction or any other purpose. This is a
national calamity and demands a special package for the affected
people which should include land, income generation, education and
health care, etc., so that the poor innocent families who have lost
everything can be rehabilitated properly. The government and the
administration are giving all sorts of excuses to displace people from
land they have lived on and farmed for generations. There should be
proper settlement of land in the district, including lands to
landless.

The Government should publish a “white paper” on the land issue.

Above all, the Government must maintain a position of neutrality and
transparency. The block officers have been playing with the facts,
indulging in corrupt practices and cosmetic exercises whenever
political and other dignitaries come to visit or inspect. Innocent
people are coerced into giving a false picture. The Chief minster must
investigate the role and functioning of the entire District
administration, including the Collector, the block and tehsil officers
and others connected with the operations. It is strange that officers
in whose presence the violence took place and thousands of houses were
burnt are still in office and are declaring that there is peace in the
district.

For further information please contact Fr. Mrutyunjaya - 09437644796 ,
John Dayal 09811021072

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