Christian death toll spiking in India. Arson, massacre, state involvement,2002 again?

[Ali.009]

All India Christian Council​

P. O. Box 2174, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, 500003, Tel 0140-27868908, Email aiccdelhi@gmail.com, www.aiccindia.org

For Immediate Release

India's Anti-Christian Violence Unparalleled Among World Democracies
Orissa violence continues unabated and enters seventh week as police neglect duties
​

NEW DELHI – October 4, 2008, 12:20 hrs.

Despite the deployment of thousands of central and state law enforcement troops, the violence in Orissa continues to inflict daily casualties and massive damage to Christian properties.

Rev. Madhu Chandra, All India Christian Council (aicc) Regional Secretary, said, "The death tolls are climbing, but less than a hundred are confirmed. Perhaps this is why the Orissa attacks haven't gained international attention the worst violation of the freedom of religion in any democracy in recent history. What most people don't realize is the goal of the attackers is to inspire fear. The attackers believe India is only for Hindus and their stated purpose is to convert people to Hinduism or force them to leave. To accomplish this, they only need to kill one or two people in each village or church. This is clearly terrorism and ethnic cleansing, but few Indian leaders are admitting it." Most of the victims are Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, from a tribe called Pano.

Dr. Joseph D'souza, aicc president, said, "The events of the last month, not only the attacks but the negligence of government, would be sad if it happened in a dictatorship or a totalitarian regime. The fact that it's happening in the world's largest democracy makes it infinitely sadder."


Some police, mostly in rural areas, are neglecting their duties. For example, a Roman Catholic nun was raped amidst mob violence on Aug. 25, 2008, in Kanjemandi village between Raikia and Balliguda, Kandhamal District, Orissa. A medical examination of the nun conducted that night at the Balliguda Hospital confirmed rape. Both the victim and a priest, who tried to defend her and was severely beaten, tried to file cases in the Nuagaon police station. Their "First Information Reports" (FIR) were rejected. Eventually, the same FIR was accepted at the Balliguda police station. But, in spite of numerous eye witnesses, police didn't investigate until 38 days after the attack and made four arrests yesterday.

India's Supreme Court said on Aug. 8, 2008 that any police officer who turns away a person without registering his or her complaint could face contempt of court charges and imprisonment (see "Cops understand only crack of whip, says Supreme Court" by Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times of India, Aug. 9, 2008). Justice B.N. Agrawal and Justice G.S. Singhvi instructed victims to appeal to their local chief judicial magistrate or the chief metropolitan magistrate. Ironically, the decision was scheduled for review on Aug. 25th, the same day as the attack on the nun.

"We demand that the officials in Orissa follow the law. We know multiple cases where Christians have tried to file cases with police after being attacked and the police turned them away. Police say they are overwhelmed and don't have time to file cases or investigate since they must focus on maintaining order. But surely they realize that, unless crimes are promptly punished, the perpetrators are indirectly encouraged to continue their crimes. Justice is being denied to hundreds of victims," said Chandra.

There has been no news about a second rape case. A young nun of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Roman Catholic diocese working at Jan Vikas Kendra, a social service centre near Nuagaon, was reportedly gang raped by mobs on Aug. 24, 2008.

Similar violence lasted about a week over Christmas 2007. Some are calling it "Christian-Hindu clashes" but media reports and aicc Orissa state leaders confirm that Christians are the overwhelming victims and are not instigating attacks. There are scattered reports of Christians firing guns in self-defense. The current violence is entering its seventh week since it began on Aug. 23, 2008 after the killing of a controversial swami by unknown assailants. Extremist groups blamed Christians for the murder.

The violence spread to at least ten other states and has affected hundreds of churches and thousands of Indian Christians. Within Orissa, the violence spread to almost half of the districts, and then was contained to Kandhamal District. But now attacks are spreading again with incidents reported in Gajapati and Boudh districts in the last few days.

Other examples of recent violence include:

Sept. 26th - G. Udayagiri, Kandhamal District: A young Christian man named Rajesh Digal was on his way home from Chennai. While walking with his Hindu friend, they were attacked. The Hindu man was stabbed in the left side but escaped. Rajesh was buried alive.

Sept. 30th - Rudangia, Kandhamal District: About 60 houses of Christians were burned in the morning, and one Christian lady was shot and killed while seven others were injured.

Oct. 2nd - Sindhipakali, Kandhamal District: At 8 p.m., mobs attacked the village and set Christian houses on fire. They stabbed and killed a father and his teenage son in 9th standard (grade). Both were Dalit Christians.


The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.


For more information, contact:
Madhu Chandra,
aicc Regional Secretary, New Delhi
+919868184939



World should demand UN to send peace keeping force to save christians from FASCISTS HINDUS!.

 

[Awesome]

Catholic Culture : News Briefs : Fresh violence against India's Christians: 100 homes destroyed; cardinal burned in effigy

INDIAN CATHOLIC - Renewed attack on Christians in Orissa - BHUBANESWAR (ICNS) In renewed attacks against Christians, mobs of Hindus have vandalized a church and attacked over 20 houses Orissa’s Tikabali and Daringbadi areas, police said on Thursday.
INDIAN CATHOLIC - Anti-Christian attacks systematic: central govt. - NEW DELHI (ICNS): An official of the union Home Ministry said the attack on Christians in Orissa was “very systematic” and state government should act to stop it.

 

[Awesome]

PM faces EU ire over 'massacre' of Christians-Europe-World-The Times of India

MARSEILLE: The European Union on Monday ticked off Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his government's failure to prevent what it called a "massacre" of Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. This strongly-worded description of the violence in Kandhamal and the Bajrang Dal's destruction of churches in Karnataka came during the India-EU summit here.

The issue was taken up strongly with Singh by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is also the head of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

Talking to reporters, Sarkozy strongly dismissed the suggestion that the "massacre" could be equated with the discrimination Sikhs allegedly face in France. Although Sarkozy said he admired Singh's condemnation of the anti-Christian violence as a "national shame" and his promise to guarantee the religious rights of minority communities in India, the two sides clearly differed on the scale of the violence against Christians in India.

In his reply, the PM said there were "some sporadic incidents" though he declared the determination of the state to ensure that minority communities exercise their constitutional right to profess and propagate their respective faiths. He listed the measures taken by the Centre — advisories to Karnataka and Orissa and deployment of its forces — to emphasize the intent of his government to put an end to violence against Christians allegedly by Bajrang Dal and VHP.

Sarkozy and Barrosso expressed satisfaction with Singh's assurances. "He is a courageous man. My respect for him has gone up because of his courageous assurances," Sarkozy said. Barroso spoke in the same vein, saying that "we praise the clarity with which he has condemned the violence".

The French president, however, was riled by a question which asked about the ban on Sikh turbans in government-funded schools in France.

"Massacre of Christians and the turban issue are not of the same nature," he snapped. He also made it clear that Sikhs will have to conform to rules of the French Republic.

"We respect their customs and traditions and they are welcome in France. But we have rules regarding the neutrality of civil servants; regarding secularism and those apply not just to Sikhs or Muslims but to all. They are non-discriminatory. So while we respect the customs of Sikhs, we expect them to respect the rules of the Republic," Sarkozy asserted.

India and the EU have long had a thorny relationship on the issue of human rights. During the heyday of Kashmir terrorism, EU never failed to criticize Indian actions. In 2002, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was ticked off by Danish PM Anders Rasmussen on human rights abuses of Kashmiris, leading Vajpayee to retaliate.

They are officially terming it as a massacre now. How did it get to this?

 

[Vinod2070]

It is terrible. We are all surprised why it has not been nipped in the bud.

Violence should not be allowed to deal with such issues. Though obviously the aggressive conversion drives by some missionaries (who are so aggressive that they are abhorred by the majority of Christians) has added fuel to the fire. Kinda like Christian Wahaabis.

But it should be those guys only who should be banished, not the peace loving patriotic citizens of India.

 

[Ali.009]

But it should be those guys only who should be banished, not the peace loving patriotic citizens of India.

I.e whole of indian elite rulling class - dreamers of 'greater india' - suppoters of ethnic cleansing. And do i hear 'peace-lovers' I.e Those who dont bother, whatever the hell happens in their coutry and sit tight in their cosy homes. You call such insensitive humans 'peace lovers'?

No miniority is safe in India, never has been. World should take solid note of this by now, everyone knows state has always done this. Different minorities are targeted on yearly basis, sikhs-muslims-christians-etc-etc

This will become the very reason of indian downfall, unless indians set themselves right.

 

[Vinod2070]

I.e whole of indian elite rulling class - dreamers of 'greater india' - suppoters of ethnic cleansing. And do i hear 'peace-lovers' I.e Those who dont bother, whatever the hell happens in their coutry and sit tight in their cosy homes. You call such insensitive humans 'peace lovers'?

No miniority is safe in India, never has been. World should take solid note of this by now, everyone knows state has always done this. Different minorities are targeted on yearly basis, sikhs-muslims-christians-etc-etc

This will become the very reason of indian downfall, unless indians set themselves right.

I referred to the vast majority of Christian citizens as peace loving patriots in this context. Not sure what you understood!

Now I don't know what you mean by no minority is safe in India. What I do see on the ground is that the minorities have been practically wiped out from Pakistan (96-97% Muslim).

In India they are thriving in every field. Their population share increases every year. They have achievers in all fields: Education, Sports, business, trade, science, politics, movies you name it.

It just needs non-jaundiced eyes to see the facts.

 

[Spring Onion]

Ali i think you did not read the news about setting Muslims' villages ablaze by Hindus in Assam.

The fire is going on in every cornor against non-Hindus in India.

 

[Spring Onion]

I referred to the vast majority of Christian citizens as peace loving patriots in this context. Not sure what you understood!

Now I don't know what you mean by no minority is safe in India. What I do see on the ground is that the minorities have been practically wiped out from Pakistan (96-97% Muslim).

In India they are thriving en every field. Their population share increases every year. They have achievers in all fields: Sports, business, trade, science, politics, movies you name it.

It just needs non-jaundices eyes to see the facts.

yes minorities are thriving in India with Bajrang Dal and VHP, RSS terrorists setting them on fire alive besides setting their homes and worship places ablaz.

I think you are not reading news these days.

Had you checked what is going on in Assam these days???

 

[Awesome]

Look Christians will convert people to their faith. If Hindus have a problem with that, your faith should be attractive enough to not leave it in the first place.

Its the idiots argument that why is someone changing their faith.

 

[Ali.009]

Now I don't know what you mean by no minority is safe in India. What I do see on the ground is that the minorities have been practically wiped out from Pakistan (96-97% Muslim).

How many such incidents happened in Pakistan, which keep happening in India? Miniroties are living peacefully in Pakistan, they always have. Whole world can see what is happening on 'ground' - in India. Your ignorance is beyond limits, your replying to a thread about a minority getting massacred in India and yet you reply 'minorities are thriving in every field'. You are joking or making fun of those christians who are getting slaughtered? This is a live shameless proof of sheer ignorance.

Kindly keep your bogus, unauthentic and useless stats to yourself. Your making nobody a fool here execpt your own self.

 

[Vinod2070]

Look Christians will convert people to their faith. If Hindus have a problem with that, your faith should be attractive enough to not leave it in the first place.

Its the idiots argument that why is someone changing their faith.

Does Islam allow one to leave the fold? Last I checked apostates are liable to be murdered in public.

Does your statement apply to this case?

 

[Spring Onion]

Does Islam allow one to leave the fold? Last I checked apostates are liable to be murdered in public.

Does your statement apply to this case?

Liable to be murderd???? According to whome?????

You need to open your mind and have some unbias study on this my dear vindo.

Islam has not at all passed any judgment of murdering anyone who wants to leave its fold.
There is not even a single verse or even not a single Hadith which calls for murdering those who leave fold of Islam.

In Islam anyone can leave there is no bar on that nor there is any order of punishing them physicaly.

Now come back to the killing of NON-Hinuds by Hindu terrorists who are against conversion.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

What I do see on the ground is that the minorities have been practically wiped out from Pakistan (96-97% Muslim).

An equivalent number of Muslims migrated out of India into Pakistan (or West Pakistan) as well.

This canard of 'minorities wiped out' is repeated ad-nauseam by some, but I still haven't seen how the percentages drastically changed in West Pakistan when you take into account the percentage of minorities in West Pakistan in 1947, and the migration into and out of those areas.

 

[Vinod2070]

How many such incidents happened in Pakistan, which keep happening in India? Miniroties are living peacefully in Pakistan, they always have. Whole world can see what is happening on 'ground' - in India. Your ignorance is beyond limits, your replying to a thread about a minority getting massacred in India and yet you reply 'minorities are thriving in every field'. You are joking or making fun of those christians who are getting slaughtered? This is a live shameless proof of sheer ignorance.

Kindly keep your bogus, unauthentic and useless stats to yourself. Your making nobody a fool here execpt your own self.

Ali, I have no intention of digging the numerous incidents of the misuse of the "blasphemy" law. If you don't know the facts, better read up on that.

How many minorities are left in Pakistan now? They are just negligible in number and without a voice. In tribal areas again there was a report of their being forced to migrate under pain of death threat.

I don't want to make it an Indo-Pak thing. It is a terrible happening. No one is condoning it.

It is the holier than thou attitude on Pakistani's part that is amusing. No one gets fooled by it, you may rest assured.

The Islamic world as a whole has a lot to learn from India about tolerance and how multiple faiths ought to live in harmony. There is not a single Muslim majority country which is not "Islamic". Why do you expect any different treatment when you are in a minority?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Does Islam allow one to leave the fold? Last I checked apostates are liable to be murdered in public.

Does your statement apply to this case?

I don't believe Islam commands that, some extreme interpretations (such as in Afghanistan) may impose that interpretation.