Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – Hindu radicalist groups, those responsible for the anti-Christian violence reported in Orissa and in other Indian states in past months, have announced that they will hold a nationwide strike and protests on Christmas this year.
The group Vishwa Hindu Parishad has announced that on December 25, there will be a demonstration at 12 noon in Orissa, as well as protests for the failure to arrest those responsible for the murder of Hindu leader L. Saraswati. The murder of the leader (which took place in August, probably by Maoist rebels), of which Christians were falsely accused, was the pretext used by Hindu organizations to launch their attacks in Orissa in recent months.
The Christian community in Orissa is alarmed because it fears a new wave of violence. Many recall Christmas 2007, when several acts of violence were reported in various Christian communities (see Fides 21-29/1/2008), in a campaign that served as a preview to the aggressions in August 2008.
Christians have received various assurances of security from civil authorities, especially from the Governor of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik, and the Indian Internal Affairs Minister, P. Chidambaram, however there is still fear among families, as the wounds of the recent violence is still fresh in the minds of the victims.
“In spite of the authorities' assurances, we are deeply concerned. The strike and the protest of the Hindu radicalist groups are a clear sign of their desire to provoke spirits to hate and violence. We are asking the police, the politicians, the mass-media, and civil society in Orissa to assure peace and stability. We ask that the members of the Hindu extremist groups be prohibited from gathering in large numbers in Orissa, especially in the district of Kandhamal, which has already suffered many anti-Christian attacks,” say the faithful of the All India Christian Council.”
According to information released to Agenzia Fides by the Indian Bishops' Conference, the current statistics on the anti-Christian violence in Orissa, as of 15 December 2008, are the following: 81 persons killed; 22,236 present in refugee camps provided by the government and another 40,000 people have fled the district of Kandhamal; 450 villages affected by uprisings; 4,677 houses destroyed; 236churches and 36 convents, institutes, and religious structures demolished. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 22/12/2008)
