Catholic Priest tells Orissa Chief Minister and Governor how he helplessly watched as goons set his chruch on fire in Kandhamal hills, the first of more than 70 institutions to be torched; Film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, Abraham Mathai give wake up call to governments; John Dayal resumes Fact Finding mission

[Dr. John Dayal]

PRESS STATEMENT
I January 2008

Famous Indian film director Mahesh Bhutto on Sunday called upon the
Union and Orissa governments to take urgent measures to restore the
confidence of minorities in the face of fundamentalist and communal
violence that had spotted with blood the celebrations of Christmas in
the Kandhamal district of Orissa between 24 and 27 December 2008.

At a New Year Day press conference he addressed in Bhubaneswar
together with Maharashtra Minorities Commission vice chairman Dr
Abraham Mathai, Dr John Dayal, AICC Orissa leader Rev P R Parichha and
Kandhamal priest Rabi, whose church was among the first to be burnt,
Bhatt called on civil society to be on its guard as communal forces in
several parts of the country posed a threat to the very idea of India.
He said there could be no defence of this violence in as secular
country.

Dr John Dayal and other Christian leader present demanded of the
Government immediate measures to restore confidence in the tribal
hills of the region, punishment to the guilty and brining back of all
those who had fled their homes.

Mr. Mahesh Bhatt, Dr Mathai, Dr. Dayal and other leaders met with
chief minister Naveen Pattanaik. Delegations also met Governor
Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare and gave him eye witness first had
accounts of the violence.

The following memorandum was submitted to the Orissa government once
again:

"We, the leaders and representatives of different Churches of Orissa
would like to bring to your kind notice, the atrocities committed
against the Christians in Kandhamal District and other places of the
state of Orissa.

The latest update we wish to bring to your attention is:

1. We still do not have an official account of how many people have
died in police firing, mob violence or other injuries sustained during
the last one week in the Kandhamal district.
2. Many people, including young women, are still reported missing. We
have no account, and neither do we know if the Police have tried to
search for them and assure their safety.
3. Christians have been arrested, we learn, but there is no official
word on it.
4. Troublemakers seem to have a free hand in the entire district
despite night curfew.
5. No Church group has been allowed to visit the area, and therefore
we have not been able to provide even psychological support to the
traumatized victims.
6. Senior Christian leaders who had reached Phulbani were expelled
under police escort and prevented from taking to victims.
7. We understand from our priests and others who are able to
communicate with us that there has been bias in distribution of relief
and that many families are still not getting any assistance.
8. In many villagers, government officials are not giving relief to
women. The women are asked to comeback with their husbands or sons. We
fear it may be a ruse to arrest the men folk.
9. The Christian community and men and women whoa r guarding churches
and institutions, which we fear are still under threat by hooligans
and anti Christian elements, are being harassed and taken away by the
police. There is no account of these young men.
10. We demand immediate relief to all people who may still be in the
forest areas, as also immediate arrangements for a fact finding team
and for church relief teams to go to the affected villages in all
blocks of Kandhamal District.
11. The other demands, including one for e CBI enquiry, and
comprehensive relief and rehabilitation, adequate compensation and
long term peace and development measures have been submitted to the
government earlier.

Dear Governor, as you know, the trouble began on 24th December 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 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 have been 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 shops and property. Six seven members of Ambedkar Boniko Sango
were beaten up by the mob.

On the second day, 25th December, the crowd came back and destroyed
the churches in Bamunigam area. Then they entered the Christian
villages and burnt their houses and property. Christians were asked to
leave the place. Church and the Christians are under threat without
any police security.

Attack on Balliguda Parish

On the same day, 24th December at about 2.00 p.m. much larger crowd
(400to 500) marched into Balliguda town parish and damaged and
ransacked the church building, residence of priest, convents and
institutions and looted the property. By 10.00 p.m. the following
institutions were destroyed and burned (some fully, others partly).
The large parish church, presbytery, convent, computer room,
dispensary, plus +2 student's hostel, etc.

The same crowd moved into the town and completely burned down the
church belonged to the Baptist Christians. They also attacked another
church belonging to the Pentecostal Christians.

On 25th December they were moving around menacingly threatening the
priests and Christians so that they were not even able to file an FIR
(First Information Report). The situation is desperate and there is
great fear and anxiety among Christians.

Two constables asked the priests of Phulbani parish to have no
celebration otherwise there will be more troubles. On 25th December,
the convent in Phulbani was also attacked by a group of
Fundamentalists. They destroyed everything possible from outside of
the convent (door, window glasses, etc.) They also damaged a new
school bus.

On 25th December the priests and sisters in Pobingia parish were
advised to move out to a safer place which they did. And thereafter at
12.00 noon a group of Bajrangdal people attacked the church of
Pobingia parish and destroyed it. There after they destroyed the
priest's residence in the afternoon. All these happened in the
presence of police with impunity. More than half of 24 parishes in
Kandhamal District could not celebrate Christmas mass because of fear
of attack

In Bhubaneswar
During midnight Mass on 24th December, someone threw a bomb on
Archbishop's House, Bhubaneswar. Though it exploded fortunately no
damage took place.

Our Fears
1. Even though the Government has been assuring us of all protection,
the fundamentalists are moving about with lethal weapons threatening
and attacking the Christians.

2. The fundamentalists go on their destructive activities even in the
presence of the police force who often say that they are not enough to
face such a crowd. The destruction goes on unabated.

3. The Christians who are already attacked and those who are in great
fear of being attacked feel with sufficient reason that they are left
to the mercy of the fundamentalists.

4. We don't see anywhere sufficient number of police force, and senior
police officers who were deputed to the Kandhamal District for
maintenance of law and order have expressed their inability to contain
the situation in absence of adequate force.

5. The situation forces priests, nuns and the Christians to leave
their homes and take refuge in the forest.


INSTITUTIONS SO FAR ATTACKED AND DESTROYED

PARISH CHURCH VILLAGE CHURCHES
Balliguda Pobingia
Bamunigam Padangi
Sankharakhole

VILLAGE CHURCHES

Bodagan-Balliguda
Balliguda town
Kamapada - Balliguda
Mandipanka- Godapur
Jhinjirguda- Bamunigam
Ulipadaro - Bamunigam
Goborkutty-Kattingia
Kulpakia- Nuagam
Dohapanga-Balliguda
7 churches, Sirtiguda, Balliguda
4 churches in Phiringia
7 churches in Phulbani
4 churches in Ruthungia
4 churches in Kalingia
2 churches in Tikabali
4 village Churches - Nuagam
3 more village church
Boriguda (Padangi )
Bakingia (Raikia)
Dalagam
Iripiguda


A good number of village churches are also destroyed of which we do
not have definite information. Barakhama, 400 houses are gutted, five
people murdered, property looted, one tractor burnt.

CONVENTS PRESBYTERY
Balliguda Balliguda
Pobingia Pobingia
Phulbani Bamunigam
Bamunigam Padangi
Sankharakhole

HOSTELS

Pobingia 2
Balliguda 2
Bamunigam 2
Minor Seminary (Balliguda)
Vocational Training Centre (Balliguda)
Sarshnanda, leprosy centre (Pobingia)


Kui Janakalyan Samiti
This organization had declared bandh on 25th and 26th December 2007 in
order to press for their alleged demands. But it was only a ploy to
prevent the celebration and attack the Christians and their churches
and institutions. But their real purpose was to:
a) Disturb their Christmas celebration, the important feast of
Christians; it is even a National holiday.
b) Instead of conducting bandh they have unleashed a reign of terror,
destroying institutions, intimidating Christians and forcing them to
go out of their homes.
c) Their entire attention is on driving away Christians from the
region. It is evident from the slogan they are shouting at Christians.

Most of the priests, pastors and religious sisters in Kandhamal
District have taken shelter in the forest. In fact the fundamentalists
are in search of finding their hide-outs.

All these happened during first three days. We are in receipt of
information from various other churches and institutions that the
attackers are still active and the destruction of property is still
going on and Christians are under attack. On the other hand the
innocent Christians are apprehended and Christian officials are
victimized in order to appease the Fundamentalists. Therefore we
demand the following

A delegation met the Hon'ble Chief Minister and made the following
demands:

1. That a CBI inquiry may be ordered for proper and impartial
investigation for justice.

2. That Central Para Military forces be deployed in adequate strength
at all the affected and sensitive places to prevent any further
recurrences as the local police has not been able to control the
situation.

3. That impartial and proper assessment of the property damaged,
caused to various Churches, Christian institutions and other
establishments may be made and adequate compensation be provided as
early as possible to restore confidence of the people in the
administration.

4. That proper compensation is given to the deceased family and
injured persons.

5. That the culprits responsible for creating communal disharmony and
caused damage to people and properties should be severely dealt with
and the Govt. officials be given exemplary punishments for their gross
negligence, inaction, apathy amounting to connivance with the
perpetrators

6. A Fact Finding Committee consisting of various Church leaders and
representatives proposed to visit various affected sites and personnel
of the Kandhamal District and other affected places of the state to
take stock of the situation and to console the victims and families.
Therefore, we request to provide police protection to the team during
their visit.


Yours sincerely,


Bishop Dr Samsan Das, CNI, Cuttack Diocese

Fr Bernard, on behalf of Most Reverend Raphael Cheenath SVD,
Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar

Mr. Isaac Behera, IAS [Retd}, President, All India catholic Union --
Orissa

Dr. John Dayal, Member, National Integration Council, Govt. of India
and National President, All India Catholic Union

Mr. P R Mishra

Rev. B D Das

-----------------
The following is the text of the oral testimony of Catholic Father
Rabi Sabhasundar, a tribal from the Kandhamal district, who saw his
parish church attacked, vandalized and then set on fire in the
Bamunigam area of Kandhamal district - amigo the first casualties of
the anti-Christian violence in Orissa during the Christmas week 24-27
December 2007. Fr Rabi gave testimony in meetings with Governor
Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Chief Minister Naveen Pattanaik and a
Press conference convened by famous film director Mahesh Bhatt of
Mumbai, Maharashtra State Minorities Commission vice chairman Abraham
Mathai, and Dr John Dayal, Member, national Integration Council , 0n 1
January 2008.



Violence against Christians, Bamunigam 24-27, Dec, 2007
Statement of Fr. Rabi Sabhasundar, Parish Priest, Bamunigam

The Church of Our Lady of Lourd, Bamunigam, Kandhamal District, Orissa
consists of around 1630 of 217 families. Like any other year this year
2007, the people of Bamunigam were preparing and getting ready to
celebrate Christmas. So they had put up Christmas Crib (Pandal) in
front of Christian shops where they used to do usually in every year.
The Christmas Crib (Pandal) was decorated with all light and sound and
with all the necessary decorative articles. For the Pandal making and
celebration, a committee (Ambedkar Banika Sango) had already got the
permission from the Collector, Sub-Collector and SP. With the prior
permission as they were proceeding with all the preparation, on the
eve of Christmas celebration, in order to disrupt the celebration the
committee of Banika Sango of Hindu group along with the president of
RSS Mr. Bikram Rautho 40 year of age son of Kishor Rautho, Nuagam,
Ps. Bamunigam, and Mr. Dhanu Pradhani s/o Bainath, Jhinjiriguda,
Bamunigam went to the police station and complained repeately to SI
not to have weekly market in Bamunigam. On Monday 24th December, 2007
at 10 am, the RSS president Mr. Bikram along with his RSS members and
Hindu business people went to market place and forcibly stopped the
people not to have market on that day. Meanwhile the SI of Bamunigam
Police Station along with 5 Sarapanch of the locality and majority of
the village customers came to the market place and convinced the Mr.
Bikram and his team to carry out the market. However, soon after the
departure of the SI, Mr. Bikram and his team physically harassed many
villages people those who had come to the market. Some were thoroughly
beaten with sticks and iron bars. They also showed the weapons to
attack them. With the short period of time nearly 200 people came
running to the Crib with guns, spears, axe, and many other tradition
weapons and they completely destroyed the well decorated Crib. Along
with this they also broke, looted and burnt all the shops of Christian
people. At the same time some people pour the petrol and burnt three
motor bikes of Christian people. Angry mob also burnt one generator,
light and sound system and other decoration articles of people of
Digapainy, Gajapati district, who were hired and employed by their
owner for the Christmas celebration.

On the process of destroying the Crib one boy of 15 years of age was
shot with a gun. Whereas another boy of 12 years of age was very badly
attacked and hurt on the head with a sharped edge sword. Seeing the
pitiful condition of this boy when his parents were coming to rescue
him, both of them were beaten and hurt with iron bar and by tradition
weapons.

Seeing this fearful attack, many Christians of the locality and many
village customers those who had come from near by villages run for
their lives. Taking the advantage and disperse of the helpless people,
all the more Mr. Bikram together with his RSS members, Hindu business
people and many other Hindu people destroyed the shops of Christian
people one after the another.

On 24th December, 2007, instead of celebrating the Midnight Mass, most
of the Christians with their small children and babies went to the
near by forest and had a sleepless night and took shelter on that
sever cold dark night.


On 25th December, 2007, many people those who took shelter in the
forest came to their houses thinking that the atrocity will be
stopped. But the atrocity still continued on that day too. At 10 am.
around four to five hundred RSS people, Hindu business people of the
locality and many other Hindu people those who came from near by Hindu
villages marched towards the Christian Street with a slogan "Jai Sri
Ram", Jai Hanuman and they were also shouting and abusing with all
kinds of bulgur and threatening words like 'Magyasala', 'Padry
Manongku Jalidio, 'Semango Church ebang Anustano Pudidio, Christian
manongu Hatao', and burnt most of the houses and looted their
properties. After having completely destroyed the houses and
properties they forcibly entered the Church campus with the guns,
petrol, diesel, kerosin, bombs, and many other traditional weapons and
broke and burnt the doors, windows, statues, altar, and many other
musical instruments, lights and sound, furniture and many other church
and religious articles including Bible and completely desecrated the
church.

Meantime some of them entered the presbytery and burnt the Father's
residence including their two motor bikes, one generator, steel and
wooden almirhars and all the documents and furniture and looted
several lakhs of properties.

After the complete destruction of the church and the presbytery the
angry mob went around in search of priests and nuns to harass and burn
them alive. Hearing and seeing the destructive behavior of the RSS
people, three priests, one deacon, one regent, two brothers, five
sisters of Holy Cross Convent, Bamunigam and four domestic workers run
to the near by jungle together with many Christian people to save
their lives.

It is a matter of great sadness that all these atrocities, and
destruction was done in the presence of police force.

Till today priests, nuns and people are in forests and other near by
villages with great fear and anxiety. Though the government has
lunched to give relief to the people of both the communities,
unfortunately one community of Hindu people are given relief and
Christians are neglected. When Christian mothers go to ask for the
relief, government relief officials harass them and telling them to
bring their husbands. After having experienced the atrocities and
harassment from both Hindu community and the government officials, the
Christian people continue to live with fear and anxiety. We don't know
how long this atrocity and violence will persist.