Spread of Hindutava

BANGLADESH:Bombs found in Maitree’s route

Some crude bombs have been found on a rail track through which the Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express will start rolling on Monday, Indian officials said.The bombs were found between Ranaghat and Gede railway stations, north of Kolkata, late on Sunday evening, the officials said.

Bangladesh rail officials were unaware of the "bomb discovery".

"The bombs are crude and are meant to scare, but we are taking no chances," said Dilip Mitra, inspector-general of Railways Safety in Kolkata.Trains between India and Bangladesh are being resumed after 42 years, after they were stopped during the 1965 India-Pakistan war.Indian Intelligence blamed the Nikhil Banga Nagarik Sangha (All Bengal Citizens Group), an organisation of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in planting the bombs.
The group has close links with the Hindu fundamentalist Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS. The Sangha has opposed the "friendship express" and called upon their supporters to disrupt it.

"Why should democratic and secular India seek to develop such intimate links with Islamic Bangladesh…?" the Sangha's general secretary Subhas Chakrabarti said in a statement this week.

NEPAL:MILITANT HINDUTVA RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD

Needless to say, not everyone was excited by the 18 May 2006 declaration of secularism. Nepal’s Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) elements, with backing from Hindutva forces in India, immediately increased their intolerant rhetoric and exploited the confusion of the Hindu masses. On 22 May 2006 some 5000 Hindus rallied in Birgunj, a southern town in the “Hindutva belt” on the border with India, protesting the parliament’s resolution to turn Nepal into a secular state. The rallies were organised by activists from the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and Shiv Sena Nepal. The protestors blocked the Tribhuvan highway on the Bara-Parsa industrial belt near the Indian border. Shouting “Jay Shree Ram!” (Lord Ram is great!), they burnt tyres, logs and newspapers that supported the resolution. (See LINK 2)

A group calling itself the Nepal Defense Army (NDA) committed several minor acts of terrorism during 2007, primarily targeting Maoist institutions. It claims it is fighting for Nepal’s reinstatement as a Hindu state.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 March 2008 a bomb exploded in the regional office of Kantipur Publications in Biratnagar, a city some 240 km south-east of Kathmandu in the Hindutva belt on the Indian border. Kantipur, a Nepali news service, reported that the explosion caused no harm to the staff or the office property. “Though it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, the pamphlets found at the explosion site suggested that ’Nepal Defense Army’ was responsible. The pamphlets read ’Nepal Defense Army for Hindu Kingdom’.” (LINK 3)

MOSQUE BOMBING

On the evening of Saturday 29 March 2008, three powerful bombs ripped through the Sarouchiya Mosque in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s hometown of Biratnagar. A fourth bomb failed to explode and was later defused. Two locals were killed in the blasts, while two others were hospitalised with critical injuries.

According to Kantipur, “Two unidentified persons, who came on motorcycles, had lobbed four bombs while over 60 persons were busy reciting evening prayers inside the mosque.”An eyewitness, Malik Alam Kuresi, said the unidentified men hurled the four bombs from the gate and fled the scene. ’However, only three of them (bombs) went off immediately.’

“Meanwhile, an underground group — Nepal Defense Army — took responsibility for the blasts. One R P Mainali aka Paribartan, who identified himself as ’supreme commander’ of the group, owned up the group’s involvement in the blast, in a press statement.” (LINK 4)

In a statement sent to media outlets, the Nepal Defense Army vowed it “would continue such attacks until Nepal is reinstated as a Hindu nation.”

The Times of India reported: “Soon after the attacks, Muslims began demonstrations on streets. Fearing a riot, the district administration clamped curfew from Saturday night. When the curfew was lifted in the morning, Muslims called a strike in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts, ignoring [PM] Koirala’s appeal to show restraint.” (LINK 5)

An October 2007 article by Prashant Jha in the Himal SouthAsian entitled “Royal Hindutva — The Hindu right in Nepal is currently down, but not out” provides insight to the relationship between Hindutva forces in Nepal and India. [In fact, Jha’s article makes one wonder: what would it mean for Nepal if India’s BJP won power in India’s 2009 federal elections?]

Concern Nepal, Jha writes: “India’s Hindu right does not like what it sees taking place in Nepal. Angry that the country is headed towards becoming a secular, democratic republic, it can see its traditional influence in Nepali politics waning. A terminal blow has now been dealt to the two pillars central to what the Hindutva-wallahs have cherished about Nepal: a Hindu rashtra [state] with a Hindu monarchy.”But Hindutva leaders from both India and Nepal have not given up. They have been brainstorming — at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in New Delhi, the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, and at the residence of royalist politicians in Kathmandu — as well as with King Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti Palace. However, the Indian and Nepali Hindu right recognises the limits of its capacity, and does not have a clear rescue plan as yet [Oct 07]. . ." (LINK 6)

Maybe the recent mosque bombing in Biratnagar signals a shift in Hindutva strategy. Perhaps the Hindutva agenda will be advanced, not through riots or minor acts of terrorism against Maoists and journalists, but, as in India, through the fomenting of sectarian strife.

Elizabeth Kendal

PAKISTAN:Hindu fanatics are behind the anti Islamic and anti Pakistan propaganda in Pakistan.

India has dismissed Pakistani allegations that it was involved in a train bomb explosion which Islamabad says killed 22 people and left 36 injured.

The bomb turned the carriage into a mangled wreck. Owen Bennett-Jones reports.

The Pakistani authorities said the time bomb went off in the early hours of the morning as the Karachi to Peshawar train approached Khairpur in the southern province of Sindh.

It exploded in a packed train carriage while most of the passengers were asleep, according to an official.

The blast was so powerful it brought the train to a halt

Although no group has admitted responsibility for the bomb, the Pakistani authorities told the BBC they had "unimpeachable" evidence it was the work of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of the Hindu extremists intelligence service rss.

RSS Attacks On Christians Continue

INDIA WATCH: Massive Attacks Reported Against Christians Across India

Wednesday, 02 April 2008 http://www.bosnewslife.com/news/3541-india-watch-massive-attacks-reported-against

By BosNewsLife Asia Service

In India Christians represent just over two percent of the mainly Hindu population. Via BBC News NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- A devoted Christian pastor in India's state of Andhra Pradesh was still suffering of injuries Wednesday, April 2, after Hindu militants stormed his house, the latest in a series of attacks against church leaders and other believers across India, an advocacy group said.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said 35-year old Pastor Hanock Sanjeev, a former Hindu from the town of Asifabad, was beaten Saturday, March 29, by activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or 'National Volunteers Organization', a hard-line Hindu group. "A group of four RSS activists entered forcibly into Pastor Hanok's house and started beating him with sticks before leaving the place. He went to the hospital and was back in the evening after treatment. He still has pain in his chest region," GCIC said. Just two days earlier in the same state Hindu militants attacked and severely injured the grandparents and aunt of a 15-year-old girl in the village of Bahera, when the Christian family stopped the mob from raping her, Christians said. It came after nine Hindu militants reportedly demanded that the father of the girl, Brij Gopal Saket, turn over his daughter, Urmila, so that they could abuse her. Saket apparently refused to hand her over and locked himself, his wife and daughter inside their home. The militants, who had reportedly threatened other local Christians with violence for worshipping Christ, then grabbed Saket's parents and his sister who were outside the house and beat them with rods, sticks and stones, according to local sources. They were the latest victims of an apparent new wave of anti-Christian launched by Hindu and Islamic militants since Good Friday, March 21, when militants entered the house of Peerzada Shakeel, a convert to Christianity from Islam, and dragged him to the mosque “to say his Muslim prayers," Christians said. "FALSE CHARGES" He was reportedly detained along with his wife Arifa in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, after his father and other Muslims brought “false charges” against related to him "forced conversions," Indian Christians said. He were released the next day, but reportedly still under house arrest Wednesday, April 2. The Good Friday violence in Jammu and Kashmir spread to other areas of India during Easter, rights investigators said, including in Karnataka's state capital of Bangalore and in Shimoga district, where Hindu militants reportedly stormed two Easter Sunday services, beating at least 16 Christians, including two pastors. In one of the attacks, a mob of over 150 intolerant Hindus on Sunday, March 23, launched an attack on a Pentecostal church in Karnataka's Shimoga district in the morning, while a group of over a dozen assailants struck Christians of an independent church in Byapanahalli on the suburbs of Bangalore, said the GCIC in a statement. Accusing the Pentecostal church of "forced" conversions, the attackers allegedly beat 35-year-old pastor Mandya Nagraj and five others, besides vandalizing church property. In Byapanahalli in Bangalore, some 12 “extremists led by a Hindu priest” and an associate attacked the Grace Almighty Full Gospel Church. The assailants beat Pastor P. Isaac and nine believers, including a 17-year-old girl, the GCIC added. POLICE REFUSAL Although police apparently refused to register a complaint against Pastor Isaac for "forced" conversions, the pastor has been pressured to leave the area. Christians said. Violence was also reported around Easter in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where reportedly seven RSS activists interrupted the evening service of a house church in Bherugarh village, beating believers with stones and sticks. The owner of the house, Bhurji Dindore of the Shalom Mission group and his wife were reportedly seriously injured. The attackers also took away Bibles and Christian literature and destroyed the house’s roof, Christians explained. Instead of taking action against attackers, police reportedly detained the pastor and Dindore last week, before releasing them on a 1,200 rupees ($30) bail. Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The Easter violence came after Hindu militants already threatened and attacked Christians, including nuns, earlier in the month. On March 15 an angry Hindu mob attacked and sexually assaulted two Catholic nuns in the coastal town of Alibaug in Maharashtra state, the GCIC and India media reported. Sister Mercy Tuscano and Sister Philomena D’Mello, were reportedly preparing to hold a women’s empowerment program to spread AIDS awareness among tribal people when the attack occurred. A day earlier in the Indian state of Karnataka activists the Hindu group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) allegedly disrupted a Christian program entitled “Miracle” held March 14 at a playground in Koramangala area of Bangalore, injuring several Christians, the GCIC said. Police said KRV “extremists” accused preachers of “mass conversion.” Indian media reported. Police detained some 20 suspects, said GCIC President Sajan K. George in published comments. There whereabouts were not immediately clear Wednesday April 2. PREACHERS ATTACKED Attacks against preachers reportedly already began March 9 when in the state of Madhya Pradesh Hindu RSS militants “beat pastor Tulsi Ram and had him arrested on false charges of forced conversion on March 11 in the town of Shajapur. He was reportedly dragged to the police station on charges of “forced conversions” and beaten before and during police custody. He released March 14, on bail. Also on March 9 in Karnataka state Hindu nationalist of the RSS group disrupted a worship service in a rented home in the Davangare area, “severely beating” the gathered Christians, with one believer requiring hospitalization for internal injuries, GCIC said. Pastor Philemon Babu reportedly said that among the 25 people attending Sunday morning worship was a new person fidgeting with his mobile phone. "Suddenly at around 11:30 a.m., around 30 extremists barged into the assembly shouting Hindu devotional chants, ‘Jai Shri Ram [Hail god Rama]. They began slapping and hitting the believers, snatched Bibles from their hands and tore them. They made false accusations of [forced] conversion and played the recording of my sermon, which the newcomer had recorded on his mobile phone.” Cursing the Christians, the Hindu extremists beat up several of them, with evangelist Jobin Varghese repeatedly struck and another identified only as Nagaranjan hospitalized with internal injuries. The Hindus allegedly warned Christians of “more serious consequences” if worship services continue in the future. The pastor has been ordered to leave his home and no Sunday worship has been held since, said GCIC President George.

Militant RSS Hindutva raises its ugly head

http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?breve11311

Nepal: Militant Hindutva raises its ugly head

• as historic elections approach.

By Elizabeth Kendal

On Thursday 10 April, Nepalis will vote in historic constituent assembly elections. And this is no routine election — it is the culmination of three years of upheaval and peace process. The constituent assembly elected on 10 April will draft the new secular constitution which will replace the 1990 Constitution which describes Nepal as a Hindu Kingdom.

BACKGROUND

On 1 February 2005 Nepal’s King Gyanendra, backed by the Nepalese Army, dismissed the Prime Minister and his government and seized absolute power in a bloodless coup. Anti-monarchy sentiment subsequently soared and in November 2005 the previously disparate opposition parties joined forces to form the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) in opposition to direct, totalitarian royal rule.

In April 2006, crippling mass demonstrations in Kathmandu ultimately forced King Gyanendra to step down and hand power to SPA. The Maoists then declared a ceasefire. On 18 May 2006 Nepal’s new parliament publicly declared that Nepal would no longer be a Hindu Kingdom but would now be a secular state. An interim government was formed that included the Maoists.

On 21 November 2006 the Maoists and the SPA signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement committed to advancing human rights and equity, bringing to an end the decade-long civil conflict. Constituent assembly elections were slated for June 2007, after which a new Constitution would be drafted. (See LINK 1)

Various setbacks, including insecurity and political fractures with the Maoist, forced the postponement of the elections in June 2007 and then again in November 2007.

Over recent months various anti-democratic, anti-secular and marginalised ethnic groups have been escalating their protests, militancy, and violent intimidation of voters in the run-up to the historic elections, forcing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to appeal to all political parties to put an end to the violence.

Security has been bolstered and some 135,000 police are being deployed to polling booths in Nepal’s 240 constituencies. There is also considerable concern that after the elections, powerful, armed, not-so-democratic losers might undo Nepal’s tentative peace.

MILITANT HINDUTVA RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD

Needless to say, not everyone was excited by the 18 May 2006 declaration of secularism. Nepal’s Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) elements, with backing from Hindutva forces in India, immediately increased their intolerant rhetoric and exploited the confusion of the Hindu masses. On 22 May 2006 some 5000 Hindus rallied in Birgunj, a southern town in the “Hindutva belt” on the border with India, protesting the parliament’s resolution to turn Nepal into a secular state. The rallies were organised by activists from the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and Shiv Sena Nepal. The protestors blocked the Tribhuvan highway on the Bara-Parsa industrial belt near the Indian border. Shouting “Jay Shree Ram!” (Lord Ram is great!), they burnt tyres, logs and newspapers that supported the resolution. (See LINK 2)

A group calling itself the Nepal Defense Army (NDA) committed several minor acts of terrorism during 2007, primarily targeting Maoist institutions. It claims it is fighting for Nepal’s reinstatement as a Hindu state.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 March 2008 a bomb exploded in the regional office of Kantipur Publications in Biratnagar, a city some 240 km south-east of Kathmandu in the Hindutva belt on the Indian border. Kantipur, a Nepali news service, reported that the explosion caused no harm to the staff or the office property. “Though it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, the pamphlets found at the explosion site suggested that ’Nepal Defense Army’ was responsible. The pamphlets read ’Nepal Defense Army for Hindu Kingdom’.” (LINK 3)

MOSQUE BOMBING

On the evening of Saturday 29 March 2008, three powerful bombs ripped through the Sarouchiya Mosque in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s hometown of Biratnagar. A fourth bomb failed to explode and was later defused. Two locals were killed in the blasts, while two others were hospitalised with critical injuries.

According to Kantipur, “Two unidentified persons, who came on motorcycles, had lobbed four bombs while over 60 persons were busy reciting evening prayers inside the mosque.”An eyewitness, Malik Alam Kuresi, said the unidentified men hurled the four bombs from the gate and fled the scene. ’However, only three of them (bombs) went off immediately.’

“Meanwhile, an underground group — Nepal Defense Army — took responsibility for the blasts. One R P Mainali aka Paribartan, who identified himself as ’supreme commander’ of the group, owned up the group’s involvement in the blast, in a press statement.” (LINK 4)

In a statement sent to media outlets, the Nepal Defense Army vowed it “would continue such attacks until Nepal is reinstated as a Hindu nation.”

The Times of India reported: “Soon after the attacks, Muslims began demonstrations on streets. Fearing a riot, the district administration clamped curfew from Saturday night. When the curfew was lifted in the morning, Muslims called a strike in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts, ignoring [PM] Koirala’s appeal to show restraint.” (LINK 5)

An October 2007 article by Prashant Jha in the Himal SouthAsian entitled “Royal Hindutva — The Hindu right in Nepal is currently down, but not out” provides insight to the relationship between Hindutva forces in Nepal and India. [In fact, Jha’s article makes one wonder: what would it mean for Nepal if India’s BJP won power in India’s 2009 federal elections?]

Concern Nepal, Jha writes: “India’s Hindu right does not like what it sees taking place in Nepal. Angry that the country is headed towards becoming a secular, democratic republic, it can see its traditional influence in Nepali politics waning. A terminal blow has now been dealt to the two pillars central to what the Hindutva-wallahs have cherished about Nepal: a Hindu rashtra [state] with a Hindu monarchy.”But Hindutva leaders from both India and Nepal have not given up. They have been brainstorming — at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in New Delhi, the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, and at the residence of royalist politicians in Kathmandu — as well as with King Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti Palace. However, the Indian and Nepali Hindu right recognises the limits of its capacity, and does not have a clear rescue plan as yet [Oct 07]. . ." (LINK 6)

Maybe the recent mosque bombing in Biratnagar signals a shift in Hindutva strategy. Perhaps the Hindutva agenda will be advanced, not through riots or minor acts of terrorism against Maoists and journalists, but, as in India, through the fomenting of sectarian strife.

Elizabeth Kendal

Fact Finding Report by aicc Orissa Chapter

Written by AICC

Tuesday, 08 January 2008

RESEARCH & FACT FINDING REPORT BASED ON VISITS TO KANDHAMAL, ORISSA IN THE AFTERMATH OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN ATTACKS Jan. 7, 2008 PREFACE: From January 3-5, 2008, a second fact finding team from the All India Christian Council (aicc) Orissa chapter surveyed extensively and visited all the villages and places in Orissa attacked since December 24, 2007. Team members included: Rev. Dr. Pran Ranjan Parichha, aicc Orissa Chapter General Secretary; Mr. Harish Chandra Arisalya, Regional Manager for Dalit Education in Orissa; Rev. Abhiram Keshari Singh, Associate Secretary, aicc Balasore District Chapter; Rev. Samaresh Naik., Secretary, aicc Balasore District Chapter. They found that the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) instigated the attacks and carefully targeted Christians throughout Kandhamal District, Orissa. Most of the Christians were Dalits. Here is a summary of findings from spot visits, interviews, and personal talks with victims as written by Mr. Harish. [Note: we have used the local spellings for some villages which may not be the official English version.] CONTENTS: A. Deaths B. Seriously Injured C. Other Violence D. Slogans Used During Attacks E. Weapons Used by Attackers F. VHP Leaders G. Disturbing Facts About the Attacks H. Police Response I. The Scenario Today A. DEATHS:- There are different figures given by different people on the number of deaths from the minority (Christian) community. No figure is wrong, in a sense. The ground reality is many people are still underground or hiding literally in the forests to escape attacks & possible death from VHP cadre. Those who are missing in the villages may be alive in the forests or at nearby villages, or killed and their dead bodies are taken away or kept secret by the VHP cadre. This truth can never be ruled out. During our visit we have interviewed and found names of four confirmed dead. 1. Bhogra Naik – Male – 50+ years – village Barkhama. I have visited his broken house and met with his eldest son. Photograph of his son is available. He was a Christian and killed by the VHP cadre. 2. Tileshwar Mistri – Male – 42 years – village Kasupanka GP, Hatimunda. He was killed by the VHP mob. 3. Rajesh – Male – 22 years - from Alanjori GP. Christian young man killed by the VHP mob. 4. Kundan Mantri – Male – 21 years – Jholasahi village. Died of firing (gunshot). The VHP cadre is making all efforts to hide / destroy dead bodies of Christians killed by them to avoid death record. B. SERIOUSLY INJURED:– 6 (SIX) Christians were strangulated and fired at by the VHP cadre. They are hospitalized. 1. Sumanta Naik 2. Abhinay Naik 3. Dipti Senapati 4. Amar Naik 5. Kishore Baliyarsingh 6. Remez Singh C. OTHER VIOLENCE: DESTROYED, LOOTED, ROBBED & MOLESTED:- We have numerous pictures of property that was destroyed, burnt, and made to ashes. You will see only heaps of ashes, charcoal, and marks of black smoke in many churches and Christian institutions. Total no. of churches burnt, destroyed:- 95 This includes all village churches and churches of all denominations. Total no. of houses set on fire and completely destroyed:- 730 (In Barkhama village alone:- 415 houses.) In most of the villages the VHP miscreants not only destroyed the houses but looted gold jewelry, cash, and valuables. They did not spare ladies. Whomever they caught, they molested. D. SLOGANS USED DURING ATTACKS:- We have asked at all the villages regarding the slogans given by the attackers. Following are the slogans given by them during and after attack and killings. This is a fact. A) Bajrang Dal Jai [Hail Bajrang Dal! (Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP)] B) Hindu Hindu Bhai [Hindu Hindu Brother] C) Jai Shriram [Hail Shriram! (Shriram is a Hindu deity)] D) Jai Shiva Shambu [Hail Shiva Shambu (Shiva Shambu is also a Hindu deity)] E) Jai Bajrang Dal [Hail Bajrang Dal!] F) Only Hindus to stay here – no Christians to stay here G) Bharatmata ki jai [Hail mother India!] H) Bajrang Dal ki jai [Hail Bajrang Dal] I) Kill Christians E. WEAPONS USED BY ATTACKERS:- The VHP cadre attacked with guns, knives, trishuls (a tri-tipped spear), bombs, and other lethal weapons. Many of them had tied a yellow ribbon on their heads and put vermillion on their foreheads. F. VHP LEADERS:- Based on our research, the following people/groups were behind the attacks. 1. Chitta Bindhani – this man is not a local. He is not from Kandhamal district. He is actually from Jajpur district which is part of the coastal belt. This belt is the stronghold of VHP. 2. Bhagaban Panda – VHP leader of Kandhamal who co-masterminded this operation. Both were staying adjacent to Hanuman Mandir at Balliguda town. They are not locals but settled in Kandhamal and have been instigating threats against innocent tribals and Dalits for some time. 3. Kui Samaj - local leaders of the alliance of VHP which agitates for caste and reservation status for the Kui speaking people. G. DISTURBING FACTS ABOUT THE ATTACKS:- FACT - 1. BARKHAMA CHRISTIANS SUFFER GREATEST ATTACK Barkhama is a village about 12 kms away from Balliguda town sub division in Kandhamal. This village has Hindu majority but there are 450 Christian families. Out of 450, 415 houses belonging to Christians were completely smashed. This village has 7 churches of different denominations. All churches had well constructed buildings and six of the seven were seriously damaged. FACT – 2. POLICE INACTION AT BARKHAMA Barkhama village was attacked two times – on 24th & 25th December 2007. The sub division police head office is only about 12 kms away at Balliguda. But the police came only on the 25th night at 11 pm. They took no action but remained as silent spectators and went back. This was the exact repetition of the Gujarat carnage and its methodology. At Daringbadi, people also witnessed police watching vandalism silently as if they are watching a Hindi movie. This also was reported in Baminigaon. These are clear examples of police helping the VHP in the operation. FACT – 3. CONSPIRACY TO HIDE DEAD BODIES We believe there is a conspiracy to hide the bodies of Christians killed by the VHP cadre in order to destroy evidence of deaths in the Christian community. Many are missing -- both adults and children -- in every village. FACT – 4. PLACE OF WORSHIP VS. CREMATION OF THE DEAD Every year at Barkhama village, all the 7 churches join together and conduct a combined Christmas Eve & Christmas Day service on open ground belonging to the church. This year just as the service was over on Christmas Eve the VHP cadre attacked the congregation. They burnt the pulpit and ransacked the church buildings. On that day an old Hindu person had died naturally. In order to desecrate the place of worship of Christians the VHP cadre brought the dead body and cremated right in front of the pulpit. The ashes of the dead body remain there until today. We have a photograph. Yesterday, 6th Jan the Hindu community had a puja (worship) to mark the 10th day of the death. [Due to curfews and other restrictions, the celebration was delayed slightly.] This was not at the church ground but was intended as an insult and disrespect to the faith of the Christian community. FACT – 5. FIRST DEATH Bhogra Naik, a Christian, was killed and his body cut into three pieces. I talked to his son, Bipse Naik, and visited his destroyed house. The dead body was retrieved by his family and buried on his own land. FACT – 6. PASTOR ADAM NAIK: EYE WITNESS Pastor Adam Naik of Barkhama village was the chief speaker of that combined Christmas service. He ran for his life and is alive today. We talked to him over the phone. Both Bhogra Naik and Adam Naik were running for their lives. But Bhogra Naik could not run fast enough and succumbed to death by the VHP cadre. Adam Naik saw Bhogra brutally killed and heard him screaming for help. FACT – 7. PASTOR'S WIFE MISSING OR DEAD Pastor Krushna Chandra Digal and his family with three kids left home and ran for their lives. All went to the nearby forest in different directions with the crowd. They lost track of each other. After two days in the forest, the pastor started searching for his family. One by one he found his three children but till today his wife, Mrs. Sabita Digal, is missing. She might be killed or alive -- nobody knows. This is only one example, and there are more people. This is the reason no one can give now a definite figure on the death toll. FACT – 8. NO MEN AT BAMINIGAON VILLAGE Baminigaon village was the epicenter of this violence against Christians. Today you will see only women at the village and relief camps, but no men. All the men have gone into hiding in the forest to save their lives and to avoid the police, atrocity, or arrest. Nobody knows how many of them are alive in the forests. FACT – 9. TIGER & BEAR SIGHTED IN JUNGLE The people of Barkhama ran for their lives to the nearby jungle (forest). The name of the jungle is Kade Dangar Hill. Many families stayed for 3 nights in the jungle. Some slept under trees and behind huge rocks. It was difficult to manage in the cold of the season. Two times they saw tigers passing by and once a bear passed by. People spent the nights unharmed. This was the testimony of Pastor Lalit's wife, Mrs.Sadhaban. She was with her 4th standard girl, Rolly. FACT – 10. LICKING LEAVES FOR WATER During their stay in the forest, people did not get water to drink. Adults managed but kids were helpless. So they licked the dew on the leaves of plants and trees to quench their thirst. The children survived and returned to villages, but many asked what is the government doing to help? FACT – 11. MEDIA REPORTS Except NDTV and ETV, the TV and print media did not seem aware of the facts. They were giving biased reports, figures, and stories from VHP sources. There was no impartial report and "news" in the true sense of the term. The ETV reporter went to the forest and covered the condition of the people hiding there. Immediately he was shifted to other place by the media. The name of the reporter is Mr.Panda. Thus, we request people to please do not rely on the facts & figure of the media. See http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/gentemplate_generic.aspx?template=orissaviolence. FACT – 12. CHURCH VANDALISED AND GOAT KILLED In Baminigaon, the epicenter of the violence, the VHP cadre attacked the Roman Catholic church and all the adjacent houses of the priest & nuns. They took away one goat from a Christian family and butchered it to get the blood. The whole mob used that blood for Tilaks (forehead marking) and shouted "Jai Bajarangbali" [Hail Bajrang Dali! – the VHP youth wing] and "Jai Shriram" [Hail Shriram! – a Hindu deity]. Later, with that blood mark on their foreheads, they started attacking & looting other Christian houses. FACT – 13. HOLY COMMUNION TRAMPLED While destroying the Roman Catholic church building and attacking those inside, they brought out the holy communion elements – bread, grape juice, containers, and distribution cups. They crushed these articles under their feet. This is a great barbaric and insulting act. FACT – 14. RECONVERSION PLOT – TONSURED – GOAT BLOOD Under Balliguda tehsil is Kutikia GP. The Christian families are very few in number here. There was a small church that was attacked. The pastor, Rev. Kalia Mani Digal, and 12 Christians were forcibly taken to a field and were tonsured (heads shaved) because they refused to deny their Christian faith. Later all of them were told to eat raw rice mixed with goat blood in order to become Hindus. FACT – 15. OFFICIAL PERMISSION OBTAINED The youth wing of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Banik Sangha at Baminigaon applied to the government authorities and obtained the required permission to hold worship & meetings with P.A. system and a stage on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In spite of that, the minority Christian community was attacked. FACT – 16. WHO IS THIS LAKHMANANDA SARASWATI He is not a tribal from Kondhmal district. He hails from a small village near Talcher of Dhenkanal district which is in the central part of Orissa. He murdered someone in his locality and had a fight in his family, then he ran away. Many years ago, Kondhmal was a peaceful district with tribals and Dalits. This man took shelter here and joined the VHP. He established an ashram at Chakkapada and became the mouthpiece of the VHP for Kondhmal. FACT - 17. ONLY CHRISTIAN HOUSES WERE CAREFULLY DESTROYED Their (VHP) strategy was so meticulous that if a Christian office (i.e. World Vision) was in a rented house of a Hindu, they did not attack that house but brought out everything on the road and then set it on fire. H. POLICE RESPONSE:- In all the villages we have visited, people testify that the attacks, destruction and looting was done in the presence of police. Police did not prevent the situation and they could have taken action. There was one exception. In Balliguda town there was a police sub-inspector from the Christian community. He used to warn the Christian community of Barkhama village of a possible attack by the VHP. Even on that fateful day (Dec. 24, 2007) he told the pastors to leave the village and run for their lives. Next day the said inspector was transferred. Even today we believe the police are shielding the VHP cadre. I. THE SCENARIO TODAY:- The present situation in most villages is like a man-made desert. Everywhere there are heaps of ashes, charcoal, and broken pieces. People cannot believe the VHP's:- • well planned attack • organized vandalism • pre-planned looting, arson & robbery • meticulous destruction • local police as silent spectators • sheer devastation • quick destruction • barbaric mutilation The situation right now feels like after a war. During this winter people will now be deprived of a roof above their heads. If you make a round through the villages, you will feel & hear testimony from victims that one of the following things is true: a) India is not a democratic country or b) there is at least no rule of law in this place c) or Hindu fundamentalists are on the ruling throne of the nation Many are still in hiding or missing, and there is still much fear. We appeal for assistance and justice in light of these horrible events from Dec. 24, 2007, til now, Jan. 7, 2008.