Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bhubaneshwar (Agenzia Fides) – The drama of Christians living in the state of Orissa continues and worsens. The over 50,000 refugees in the district of Kandhamal, in the forests or in refugee camps provided by the government, are losing any hope of returning to their homes and lands, of returning to the lives they led before. This has been the alert made by the Bishops of Orissa, who observe how the Christian population is slowly but surely dwindling in the state.
The Hindu fundamentalist groups are illegally appropriating the lands that have been abandoned, used for growing grain, corn, fruit trees, and ginger, depriving Christians of their property and means of livelihood in a permanent manner. Christians are losing their lands, and with them, their hope of returning to a normal life. This is why they are fleeing Orissa, in search of another place to build their lives, starting from zero. They are mainly dalit and members of tribes who suffer violence from Hindu fundamentalists who are well-organized and armed, who suffer no resistance. Bishops say that this fact is mainly because the civil authorities and police do nothing in stopping this unjust confiscation of property and this flagrant violation of personal rights.
In this underhanded manner, local Christians say, the plan of the Hindu fundamentalists to eliminate Christian presence in Orissa is being fulfilled, as families and entire communities, deprived of everything and without hope of obtaining justice, are forced to go in search of new lands.
In a new and firm message, the Bishops of Orissa, with full support from the Indian Bishops' Conference, affirm: “54 days after attacks, the situation continues to be one of great tension and there is no security,” denying the declarations of civil authorities that speak of a progressive return to normality.
The numbers in the refugee camps, the statement says, have dropped to 50% of what they were, not due to the Christians' return to their homes, which are now occupied by other people, but because they have moved to other places farther away from the area. “Christians in the district of Kandhamal have placed their trust in the State and their fundamental right to live has been trampled by the constitutionally elected government,” the Bishops say. The most serious fact is that the persecution and the continuous violations of human rights are being tolerated by the local government and police, the message declared, and the Christians are treated as second-rate citizens. The Bishops demand an urgent opening of an investigation in the violence, calling for a “just and adequate compensation” to those affected, asking that “the police take responsibility for acting according to the law, with justice and without prejudice.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 21/10/2008)
