Kandhamal (Orissa), SVM News, December 26, 2007: Two christians killed and at least 12 churches and several christian institutions, Christian houses and shops were burned by Hindu fundamentalists and hundreds injured on Christmas night in Kandhamal District of Orissa State in India.
Narsingh Bol, a police official told to Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service that the protesters backed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) set fire to eight churches and ransacked another four. Reports say one Christian was killed in Barakhamba village and others were fleeing from villages to the jungle.
At least a dozen of vehicles including two police vehicles were also set on fire. Besides, the protestors attacked house of the elder brother of the state steel and mines minister Padmanav Behera and torched one of his vehicles
Police imposed a curfew in four towns of tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, where most of the incidents were reported.
The violence began on December 24, when about 500 men attacked a tent displaying the nativity scene that Christians of various denominations jointly put up in a small town called Bamunigam.
Nine Baptist and Pentecostal Churches and three Catholic Churches were attacked.
In Balliguda block of Phulbani district, five churches were damaged including a Baptist church, Catholic church, Pentecostal church, and a Catholic sisters' convent. Church furniture, the sound systems, and the tents were burnt. An English medium school was attacked and the computer training center was vandalised. A Christmas celebration was stopped during the worship service of Baptist church.
In Nuagam Block of the same district, a church in Kdupakia village, another church in Sirtiguda, Gosukia and Jangungia villages were assaulted and furniture and church properties were destroyed and a cross was broken down.
In Chakapad Block, of Phulbani district, a church was torched while Christians were having a Christmas feast. The food was destroyed and several were almost killed.
In Phringia Block, of Phulbani district, a Catholic church was destroyed by a bomb planted by fundamentalist. Pastor Junas Digal was tonsured and brought to temple and forced to bow down to the deity.
In Raikia of Phulbani district, shops belonging to Christians were reportedly destroyed. The Hindutva fanatics were marching in a procession and holding weapons. The Christians were ordered to stay inside their homes.
In Phulbani headquarters, a Baptist church and a Catholic church were not allowed to conduct Christmas celebrations. An orphanage run by a Catholic priest was attacked and three vehicles were torched.
Carmel Convent School in Phulbani town was attacked and the school buses and vehicles were broken and torched. A delegation of Christian leaders from Phulbani met the District Collector to insist on safety measures for the Christian minority.
Authorities say the church violence came after a Hindu leader called Swami Laxmananand Saraswati, who has campaigned against what he calls the "forced" conversion of low-caste Hindus to Christianity, was attacked on Christmas eve.
Christian missionaries have long found willing converts among India's neglected tribal communities or "untouchable" Hindus -- known as Dalits -- who still face massive discrimination.
In Kandhamal, the majority of Christian converts are Dalits.
Over the past decade in Orissa, Christian houses and churches have been set on fire, tribal Christians have been harassed and boycotted, and pastors and other Christians have been killed.
A Hindu man Dhara Singh is serving a life sentence for burning alive an Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons as well as a Catholic priest in Orissa in 1999.
Graham Staines, who had worked for three decades with lepers, and sons aged eight and 10 died when a Hindu mob torched a jeep in which they were sleeping.
Sectarian clashes break out periodically in the billion-plus country of multiple faiths, where approximately 2.3 percent are practising Christians.
As the communal fire in Orissa continues to spread, senior Christian leaders met the Prime Minister and requested him to intervene to curb the attacks on the minority community by mainly the fundamentalist Hindu groups in the state.
Pastor Paul Ciniraj, the president of the Christian Ministers of the Churches in India (CMCI) and the Director of the Salem Voice Ministries rged the central and state government authorities to protect the lives and properties of Christians, Dalits and other minority communities in Orissa
SVM News: http://salemvoice.org/svmnews288.html
Narsingh Bol, a police official told to Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service that the protesters backed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) set fire to eight churches and ransacked another four. Reports say one Christian was killed in Barakhamba village and others were fleeing from villages to the jungle.
At least a dozen of vehicles including two police vehicles were also set on fire. Besides, the protestors attacked house of the elder brother of the state steel and mines minister Padmanav Behera and torched one of his vehicles
Police imposed a curfew in four towns of tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, where most of the incidents were reported.
The violence began on December 24, when about 500 men attacked a tent displaying the nativity scene that Christians of various denominations jointly put up in a small town called Bamunigam.
Nine Baptist and Pentecostal Churches and three Catholic Churches were attacked.
In Balliguda block of Phulbani district, five churches were damaged including a Baptist church, Catholic church, Pentecostal church, and a Catholic sisters' convent. Church furniture, the sound systems, and the tents were burnt. An English medium school was attacked and the computer training center was vandalised. A Christmas celebration was stopped during the worship service of Baptist church.
In Nuagam Block of the same district, a church in Kdupakia village, another church in Sirtiguda, Gosukia and Jangungia villages were assaulted and furniture and church properties were destroyed and a cross was broken down.
In Chakapad Block, of Phulbani district, a church was torched while Christians were having a Christmas feast. The food was destroyed and several were almost killed.
In Phringia Block, of Phulbani district, a Catholic church was destroyed by a bomb planted by fundamentalist. Pastor Junas Digal was tonsured and brought to temple and forced to bow down to the deity.
In Raikia of Phulbani district, shops belonging to Christians were reportedly destroyed. The Hindutva fanatics were marching in a procession and holding weapons. The Christians were ordered to stay inside their homes.
In Phulbani headquarters, a Baptist church and a Catholic church were not allowed to conduct Christmas celebrations. An orphanage run by a Catholic priest was attacked and three vehicles were torched.
Carmel Convent School in Phulbani town was attacked and the school buses and vehicles were broken and torched. A delegation of Christian leaders from Phulbani met the District Collector to insist on safety measures for the Christian minority.
Authorities say the church violence came after a Hindu leader called Swami Laxmananand Saraswati, who has campaigned against what he calls the "forced" conversion of low-caste Hindus to Christianity, was attacked on Christmas eve.
Christian missionaries have long found willing converts among India's neglected tribal communities or "untouchable" Hindus -- known as Dalits -- who still face massive discrimination.
In Kandhamal, the majority of Christian converts are Dalits.
Over the past decade in Orissa, Christian houses and churches have been set on fire, tribal Christians have been harassed and boycotted, and pastors and other Christians have been killed.
A Hindu man Dhara Singh is serving a life sentence for burning alive an Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons as well as a Catholic priest in Orissa in 1999.
Graham Staines, who had worked for three decades with lepers, and sons aged eight and 10 died when a Hindu mob torched a jeep in which they were sleeping.
Sectarian clashes break out periodically in the billion-plus country of multiple faiths, where approximately 2.3 percent are practising Christians.
As the communal fire in Orissa continues to spread, senior Christian leaders met the Prime Minister and requested him to intervene to curb the attacks on the minority community by mainly the fundamentalist Hindu groups in the state.
Pastor Paul Ciniraj, the president of the Christian Ministers of the Churches in India (CMCI) and the Director of the Salem Voice Ministries rged the central and state government authorities to protect the lives and properties of Christians, Dalits and other minority communities in Orissa
SVM News: http://salemvoice.org/svmnews288.html
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