Violence in East India

[dr.umer]

Church set afire in Madhya Pradesh​

23 Oct 2008

Bhopal, Oct 23 (IANS) Unidentified miscreants set fire to a Catholic church in Madhya Pradesh Wednesday in the wake of anti-Christian violence in other parts of India in the past two months.

The incident, which Christians see as an attempt to target the community ahead of the November assembly polls, came to light when some nuns went to the Little Flower Church in Tikamgarh district at 5.15 a.m. and found smoke billowing out.

They immediately informed Fr. Siju John, assistant parish priest at the church who in turn called up the police which put out the fire with the help of fire brigade personnel.

"It appears the church was set on fire early in the morning after pouring kerosene or some other inflammable substance," a police official said. Police have registered a case.

"We have ordered a high level enquiry to probe the matter and also identified all the churches in the district for the purpose of providing security," Sushanti Saxena, Tikamgarh police superintendent, told IANS on phone.

Later, district collector K.P. Rahi, visited the site and reviewed the security of the church.

Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, Father Anand Muttungal, said: "We want protection and action against the culprits."

While describing the act of desecrating a place of worship as the most heinous one, he said the state government's inaction in such cases in the past has boosted the morale of hooligans to continue to harass the Christian community.

During the present Bharatiya Janata Party government, he said, more than 171 attacks on church personnel, institutions, Christian places of worship and community members have taken place.

The Madhya Pradesh Isai Mahasangh has also asked the state government to provide proper security to Christians in the state. "It is an attempt to terrorise the community ahead of the state assembly polls," alleged Mahasangh president Kurishinkal Joshi.

Satna district Bishop Rev Mathew Vaniakizhakkel alleged that the district administration was not taking the incident seriously. He asked security for Christians.

Orissa and Karnataka have seen violence against Christians in the past two months.

 

[haviZsultan]

Christians denounce attacks by Hindus in India
By ASHOK SHARMA – Oct 14, 2008

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian church leaders said Tuesday that Christians killed in recent clashes were "sacrificial lambs" targeted by hard-line Hindus seeking an advantage in upcoming national elections.

The All India Christian Council said the toll after nearly two months of sporadic violence has reached 59 dead and 50,000 displaced. Officials in the eastern state of Orissa, site of the worst violence, say 34 people have been killed.

The recent violence began after Hindu activists blamed Christians for the slaying of a Hindu leader killed in Orissa on Aug. 23. Retaliatory attacks left scores dead, dozens of churches destroyed and thousands of people homeless, despite the government's claim that Maoists killed the Hindu leader.

"A frenzied and well-armed band of political criminals has threatened our community as perhaps it has never been in its 2,000 year-old history in India," said John Dayal, secretary-general of the All India Christian Council.

There is a long history of tension between the religious groups in Orissa because Hindu leaders accuse Christian missionaries of forcing low-caste Hindus to convert, charges denied by Christian leaders.

Leaders from the council on Tuesday said the violence was led by hard-line Hindu parties preparing for national elections, expected early next year, by whipping up religious fervor.

"The sole motive is to gain political advantage in coming national elections," said Dayal. "We have been made sacrificial lambs."

The Christian leaders blamed the violence on radical Hindu groups, including the Bajrang Dal and the World Hindu Council, organizations loosely affiliated with the hard-line Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP rules Orissa and Karnataka, the two states that have seen anti-Christian violence, and is looking to challenge the ruling Congress Party for power in New Delhi.

Roughly 2.5 percent of India's 1.1 billion people are Christians, while more than 80 percent are Hindu. India is officially a secular nation.

The Christian leaders called Tuesday for a federal probe into the violence.

 

[T-Rex]

If there's anything that happens regularly in secular India it is communal violence. So I wonder what would have happened if India did not preach secularism ? Perhaps it would have been better because secularism is the tool that allows India to cover up the communal hatred that exists in India; hundreds of communal riots that take place in India every year testify that most Hindus in India cannot tolerate religious minorities. So much for "secularism" in India !

 

[dr.umer]

Eight militants killed in Manipur​

24 Oct 2008

IMPHAL: Eight militants were killed in separate encounters with security forces in two districts in Manipur, official sources said on Friday.

Sources said a joint team of police and 39th Assam Rifles personnel, combing Heingang Heibimakhong in Imphal East district, gunned down five militants late last night.

The victims belonged to Kangleipak Communist Party- Military Council (KCP-MC) and People's United Liberation Front (PULF), sources said.

"Money demand letters", two m-16 rifles, one carbine, one 9mm pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition, nine detonators, one grenade, two Kg of RDX and other explosive materials were recovered from their possession.

Sources said KCP-MC was involved in Tuesday's bomb blast that killed 17 people and injured over 30 others at Ragailong area of Imphal.

Acting on a specific information that KCP-MC and PULF cadres were planning to hold a joint meeting there, the forces searched the area and carried out the operation.

In another incident, two militants were shot dead at Pourabi area in Imphal West district by police commandos at around 8.45pm, sources said, adding that one 9 mm pistol and a grenade were found from the possession of the victims.

Sources said in a separate encounter, an unidentified militant who was suspected to be a KCP member, was killed yesterday by commandos at Gouranagar village in Imphal East district. One 9 mm pistol was found from him.

The bodies have been sent to Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital here for post mortem and identification.

Over 310 people, including civilians, were so far killed in militancy-related incidents in Manipur this year.

 

[su-47]

Eight militants killed in Manipur​

24 Oct 2008

IMPHAL: Eight militants were killed in separate encounters with security forces in two districts in Manipur, official sources said on Friday.

Sources said a joint team of police and 39th Assam Rifles personnel, combing Heingang Heibimakhong in Imphal East district, gunned down five militants late last night.

The victims belonged to Kangleipak Communist Party- Military Council (KCP-MC) and People's United Liberation Front (PULF), sources said.

"Money demand letters", two m-16 rifles, one carbine, one 9mm pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition, nine detonators, one grenade, two Kg of RDX and other explosive materials were recovered from their possession.

Sources said KCP-MC was involved in Tuesday's bomb blast that killed 17 people and injured over 30 others at Ragailong area of Imphal.

Acting on a specific information that KCP-MC and PULF cadres were planning to hold a joint meeting there, the forces searched the area and carried out the operation.

In another incident, two militants were shot dead at Pourabi area in Imphal West district by police commandos at around 8.45pm, sources said, adding that one 9 mm pistol and a grenade were found from the possession of the victims.

Sources said in a separate encounter, an unidentified militant who was suspected to be a KCP member, was killed yesterday by commandos at Gouranagar village in Imphal East district. One 9 mm pistol was found from him.

The bodies have been sent to Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital here for post mortem and identification.

Over 310 people, including civilians, were so far killed in militancy-related incidents in Manipur this year.

Good. let them die like the rats they are. Usually i condone violence, but it seems to be the only way to dela with the Maoists.

The Maoists claim to be sticking up for the poor. But what have they actually done for the poor? Aside from blowing them up or gunning them down?

Its high time the people stepped up against the Maoists. If that happens, then the Maoists are toast.

 

[BATMAN]

Raped Orissa nun blames cops for her ordeal

New Delhi: With a scarf covering her head and face, a sobbing nun who was allegedly raped by a mob in Orissa's Kandhamal district, on Friday appeared before the media to relate her sordid tale and lamented the state police's failure to help her.


Visibly shaken and seemingly not in a state to take any queries, she read out her own handwritten statement giving vivid details of the incident. She left soon after the press conference.


The Archbishop of Cuttack, Raphael Cheenath, who had recently moved the Supreme Court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying that the nun had lost faith in the state police, also accompanied her in the conference. However, he did not entertain any questions.


In her written complaint in the district on August 26, two days after the incident, the nun alleged that a mob of about 40 to 50 armed men attacked a house at K Nuagaon village where she along with a priest, Father Thomas Chellantharayil, had taken shelter after their centre was attacked.


The mob dragged her and the priest and took them to the deserted office of an NGO where she was stripped and raped. The priest was doused with petrol and beaten up.


They also paraded her naked on the streets, she alleged, saying that the incident occurred in the presence of a dozen policemen.

 

[dr.umer]

Anti Muslim riots in North Assam in India ​

24 Oct 2008

Guwahati:

Anti-Muslim violence erupted in north Assam in early October between militant Bodo tribals and Muslims in which an estimated 150 Muslims have been killed so far, hundreds have been injured, mostly women and children, and around 150,000 Muslims have been made homeless. They are now living in temporary camps which lack basic amenities and sanitation.

The violence is almost totally one sided and almost official as the Bodo militants attacking Muslims are actually “Surrendered Security Battallion” (SSB) which is the security force of the autonomous Bodo Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD) and consists of the former Bobo militants who have been absorbed in an official security force in the wake of the settlement of February 2003.

Worst areas are the districts of Darang, Udalgiri and Gwalpara which are considered communally sensitive areas. About 60 villages have been emptied of their Muslim population as a result of these attacks. Several hundred houses and other immovable properties have been set on fire. The new refugees join the earlier 45,000 refugees who are displaced since 1993.

National Highway No. 52 has been closed and curfew has been clamped in various localities. Order has also been given to shoot at site. These physical attacks are synchronised with media attack on the Muslims of Assam as they are dubbed as “Bangladeshis” without any proof. In addition to NE TV and Times Now, all local channels and newspapers are unashamedly dubbing these Muslims as “Bangladeshis” even as the Assam government denies these charges. Even PTI is parrotting these cliches.

A number of injured persons have been admitted in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, condition of many of whom is very serious. State government is unable to control the riotous situation. Udalgiri's Police Superintendent has been suspended and replaced by Manoj Agarwal. Another officer Abu Sufian has been given the charge of maintaining law and order in the affected areas. It may be stated here that the state of unrest has in fact been prevailing for the past one and a half months and in spite of deployment of large contingents of CRPF, army and imposition of curfew etc, end of violence is nowhere in sight. Influential Muslims in letters to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil have appealed for immediate intervention by centre to bring the situation under control.

Bodos in order to extend their land to form a larger Bodoland have joined hands with communal Hindu organsations like Bajrang Dal, VHP. They are openly telling Muslims that they are “Bangladeshis” and hence must quit India. Since the Congress government of the state stands with the help of Bodos crutches, it cannot do anything against the Bodos for fear of Bodos removing the crutches.

 

[dr.umer]

Brown asked to condemn anti-Christian violence in India​

27 Oct 2008

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been asked to condemn the recent anti-Christian violence in India and to call on the Indian government to stop the violence and address its causes.

In a live e-petition on the website of 10, Downing Street, it is alleged that "more than 30 people" have been killed in the violence and "dozens of churches and Christian institutions have been vandalised".

"Hindu militant outfits led by the Bajrang Dal organisation have started targeting Christians in Orissa. Riots began after a Hindu religious leader was shot dead.

"Left-wing Maoist rebels have since claimed responsibility for the shooting but hard-line Hindu groups continue to blame the minority Christian community," it said.

The petition added that the US Congress had recently introduced a resolution condemning the violence and asking the state governments of India "to protect all their citizens regardless of their religious beliefs".

Petitioners said that international pressure had "a great impact on the actions of the Indian government" and the UK government should make clear its stance. PTI

 

[dr.umer]

Five rebels killed in north-eastern India ​

26 Oct 2008

New Delhi - Five separatist rebels were killed in a gun battle with security forces in India's north-eastern Assam state, news reports said Sunday.

The clash took place late Saturday in a forest area of Nalbari district, about 90 kilometres west of Assam's main city Guwahati, IANS news agency reported quoting police officials.

'A joint team of police, paramilitary and Indian Army soldiers raided the forest reserve following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants,' army spokesman R Kalia said. Sponsored Links:

There was a firefight soon after the security forces entered the forest. 'The encounter lasted for close to three hours and we managed to gun down five of them,' Kalia said.

The security forces recovered four pistols, two grenades, ammunition and radio sets from the slain rebels.

'As of now, we can only say the five killed were definitely terrorists, although the identification process is on,' Kalia added. Sponsored Links:

Local police officials said the dead militants most likely belonged to the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom, a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland since 1979.

India's north-east, which shares borders with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, is a volatile region where nearly 40 separatist, tribal or leftist groups are active in five states. More than 15,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the region in the past decade.

 

[dr.umer]

So, India is moving away from islamic terrorists and pakistan by terming a bunch of violently agitating farmers as a threat. LOL

Is someone waiting for these "agitated farmers" to become "well trained militants" ?

Not all threats are to be taken casual.

 

[dr.umer]

Breaking news coming up on Express TV.

32 Dead as serial blasts hit Guwahati and Upper Assam.

 

[dr.umer]

Serial blasts rock Guwahati, several killed​

Guwahati, Oct 30: At least twenty people have reportedly been killed and several others injured when ten serial blasts rocked Guwahati today, sources said.

The blasts reportedly took place on Ganeshguri, Fancy Bazaar, Dispur Road, Century market and Paan Bazaar. News channel showed footage of extensive damage, with cars and other vehicles going up in flames.

Meanwhile, the police has been cordoned off the entire area and injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.

 

[dr.umer]

View attachment ad0cdd346208da00b7de9b5f5d99366c.jpg​

 

[dr.umer]

R.I.P.

Outcome of terrorism is only that innocent suffer and die and culprits do politics on their dead bodies.

 

[Nihat]

R.I.P.

Outcome of terrorism is only that innocent suffer and die and culprits do politics on their dead bodies.

Certainly - here we know what the standard protocol is , Home minister will condem the attacks and BJP will slam the UPA for being "soft on terror".

RIP - this is very unfortunate but a modern day reality