A Report on Graham Steins & his missionary
Deba Nayak
26, 1999.)
Manoharpur is a remote village of Keonjhar district, Odisha which is
100 kms from district headquarter Keonjhargarh, 46 kms from the
sub-divisional head quarter Anandapur. It is very poorly
communicated. It is border village of both Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar
district. These two sister districts were ruled by Bhanja dynasty,
having native tribes of Bhuyans, Santhals and Majhis. These tribes
are very much cultured and disciplined. Several times they revolted
against injustice and foreign rule. They pray God in the name of
nature, plants and soil (Motherland) & natural resources are plenty
till today. Always these tribes think themselves as the kingmaker and
saviour of royal dynasty.
Graham Stewart Steins
Australian father Graham Steins came to Odisha in Jan 1965. He
established his centre at Baripada the dist. Head quarter of
Mayurbhanj, famous as a cultured town of mother Odisha. Graham
started this missionary work through Evangelical Mission, Baptist
Church (at Baripada), World Vision of India with a coverage of leprosy
centre at Baripada which is not at all a leprosy prone area. In 1980
he established a missionary Church (Thatched house) at Manoharpur
(Kacha Sahi) about 150 kms from Baripada, and recently VRO and NGO is
suspected to be working for conversion. His family consisted of Mr.
Graham Stewart Steins (55), his wife-Glades Steins (45), daughter
Easter (13), son Philips Steins (12) & Timoti Steins (9). Though
Steins family have been staying here since last 34 years they did not
take the citizenship of India. Every time administration was in
difficult position to deal him as he stayed in Mayurbhanj dist, but
operating in Keonjhar district.
Conversion Started
The Baripada Mission Church leader is Nimain Hansda. His sister got
married to Shyam Marandi of Manoharpur and became Martha Marandi.
Through her Graham started converting Hindu Santhals (tribe) in
Manoharpur and adjacent area. Latest position of converted Santhals
and Kolha in that area - (which was 100% non-Christian in 1980):
Manoharpur - 24 families, Sanakusapada - 6, Tulasibani - 15, Baniajodi
-3, Palabani - 3, Pathaveda - 5. Now 56 families were converted at a
time.
Conversion Process
Contact persons gather them in Jungle Camp for 3-4 days, allow all
young girls & boys to stay together, perform marriages, preach Bible,
show video and audio films of Jesus Christ and finally convert them
through Duban.
This year's Jungle Camp (Mela)
This year Graham Steins organised Jungle camp from Jan 20 to 24th,
1999. Everyday there was a feast of meat and rice with local
alcoholic preparation Handia. Massive drive of meetings and showing
of films were conducted for 3 to 4 days. 400 people were targeted to
be converted on 24th Jan. 56 families were converted on 22nd. Every
thing was under the leadership of Graham Stewart Steins and his
battalion of 10 preachers from Cuttack and Baripada.
Tension
Due to the activities of Graham there was tension from 1981. The then
collector Fanibhushan Dash reported concern over conversion and rising
tension among Santhals. Every year tribes perform Maker Sankranti
(Jan 14) and Raja Sankranti (Jun 14-16) with pump and ceremony. But
every year this was being opposed by converted Christians by
performing ploughing etc., which is a act of sin in those Sankranti
as per their tradition. This year also that happened. So
administration was compelled since 10-15 years to deploy police force
during those Hindu functions in that locality every year.
Leadership
And therefore self declared leadership was developed in each episode
of group clashes (Regd. FIR, cases are there in every year against
each other) between converted and non-converted Santhals and Kolhas.
Which Dara Singh assumed leadership of Santhals, Shyam Sundar Marandi,
Ragadi Sara and youngster Salman Marandi took the leadership of
Santhal Christians.
Politics
This area is a traditional stronghold of Congress. Two eminent
ministers Sri Jaydev Jena (Mass Education) and Niranjan Pattnaik
(Industry & Mines) belong to the same sub-division Anandpur, in this
J.B. Pattnaik ministry. Dara Singh having many warrants against him
in police stations of the district was still active under the
political safe-arm of this ministers, which is a known fact. This
fact is going to be covered in the name of Bajrang Dal, conspired by
the congress ministry, by police DGP=92s statement. Madhavrao Scindia
instigated the villagers to tell the name of Bajrang Dal. He also
assured the backing of congress during his recent tour of the affected
area. During last four years almost all disturbances of Keonjhar
district is only because of the two infighting groups of the ruling
party led by two ministers, is an open secret. For reference, Mr
Niranjan Pattnaik happens to be a close relative of the chief minister
Mr Janaki Ballava Pattnaik and Mr Jaydev Jena belongs to the camp
deputy Chief Minister, Basanta Biswal.
That dreadful Night
During the third week of Jan 1999, Graham Steins and his 10 preachers,
including Australian Gilbert Venj, two lectures from Cuttack namely
Subhankar Ghosh and Rajendra Swain, and others from Baripada,
conducted a massive tour and propaganda in that area, conducting
village meetings, showing films regarding Jesus Christ, and mobilising
many people to be converted. It resulted an undercurrent of protest
and tension among the Santhals. The usual process of conversion the
jungle camp started from 20th inside the temporary thatched house
constructed specially for the converts. In the midday of 22nd, the
conversion of 56 families and the declaration of further target of
converting 200 camp mates on 24th spread fire of revolt among the
Santhals very rapidly in many adjacent villages. Many angry Santhals
and Kolhas gathered in that area in the midnight as a suo motto
eruption of their anger of last 18 years, when the jungle camp was
sleeping. The angry mob targeted the vehicles ORM-1208 and ORM-952,
which carried the preachers conducting the massive tour, started
damaging them. By this time Graham, who was sleeping inside ORM-1208,
covered with bundles of dry straw, woke up and threatened the mob with
pistol firing. Seeing the pistol the mob took it as a challenge and
attacked him with arrow and finally burnt the vehicle. The dry
bundles of straw made it easy to burn the vehicle and difficult for
Graham Steins to come out with his two sons, resulting the fearful
death of all of them.
And many questions:
1- Whether the organisers of Jungle camp in formed the authority about
the camp or not?
2- Jungle camp going on and no police protection, why?
3- Police deployment in every Raja Sankranti and Makar Sankranti but
why not during the jungle camp?
4- Only Graham was attacked and not the church or the other
Christians,why?
5- No local leader and jungle camp mates came for rescue?
6- Why the mob was not opposed?
7- Where the other preachers were, doing what?
8- As per the Christians 20 to 80 persons came to attack, which can be
countered easily by the jungle camp mates, which did not happen,
why?
9- Why only ORM-1208 was covered with dray straw?
10- The driver of other vehicle ORM-952 not inside, why?
11- If people left for jungles (as per Christians) and others were
inside their closed house, then why the mob did not attack anybody
having a free hand for that?
12- Nobody on behalf of the Christian rushed to the police station,
why?
13- Why police reached the spot the next day morning, 9 hours after
the incident?
14- Is there any previous groupism between the local and non Indian
Christian?
15- Is there any support for this incident from the local Christian
leaders due to leadership, administrative and financial questions?
16- According to medical authorities Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj district
are not at all in the map of leprosy prone area of the state.
Then why Graham started a leprosy center there?
17- Whether service to Santhals disconnect them socially from other
Santhals that hurt them since last long?
18- Is it an international conspiracy of creating communal
disturbances involving Christians and pressurising from western
white countries to dethrone this Vajpayee led Government?
19- Whether English media particularly the New Indian Express is a
handy work of that conspiracy and so giving such preplanned
baseless statement involving VHP & Bajrang Dal ?
20- Though law and order is a state chapter, why some political groups
and leaders blaming the central Government? Are they acting as
per the conspiracy?
21- As a part of that conspiracy the state administration is not
acting as per the Freedom of Religion Act (1969), Orissa.
22- Also the police authority acting to that international conspiracy,
stating the involvement of Bajrang Dal without visualising the
spot and the incident.
Condemnations:
1- Almost all national and regional political parties have condemned
this cruel act including BJP, BJD and Congress.
2- Leftist wagon and Janata Dal condemned this act but traditionally
blamed RSS, VHP & Bajrang Dal.
3- RSS, VHP & Bajrang Dal having no organisational works in that area,
then why to blame them?
4- Many organisations also condemned this heinous crime, of which
state RSS, VHP & Bajrang Dal are in the forefront.
A special report by Shri Subash Chouhan,
RASTRADEEP, Narisangha Sadan Chhak, Buxi Bazar, Cuttack 753 001.
Tel: (0671) 60 1552.
Partha Banerjee
> (A report by Rastradeep, a Oriya Weekly from Cuttack, Orissa, on Jan
> 26, 1999.)
___________________________________________________________
Source of news: Calcutta Online (www.calcuttatoday.com)
Clean chit to Bajrang Dal by Central team
January 28: The Central team, which went to investigate into the Steins'
murder case in Orissa
gave the Bajrang Dal a clean chit. The Central team comprising three Union
ministers, on the other
hand, attributed the cruel incident to "political conspiracy".
___
Is it any surprise that BJP govt ministers would find Bajrang Dal innocent
and the murders a conspiracy?
___
...
However, in its report the ministerial team
stated that Dr Graham Stein, the Australian missionary, was not involved
in any act of
"conversion". There might be some political conspiracy which the Steins
became victims to, Mr
Fernandes said.
___
Now why are we surprised now? We thought BJP, RSS, VHP, their media, and
their monkeys on the net believed and preached that Graham Stein _was_
involved in conversion and that he and his sons were killed by arrows and
fire from local residents (Santhals, etc.) who were disgusted with his
conversion conspiracy!