Orissa Update

Eight prayer houses were damaged in Kundra area of Koraput on Sunday

 Film Director Mahesh Bhatt will meet President Pratibha Patil on Monday

All India Christian Council in a press release on Sunday said a delegation led by noted Film Director Mahesh Bhatt will meet Indian President Pratibha Patil on Monday to apprise her about miseries being faced by the Christian community in Orissa state. Full Story

Shambhu Nath Naik, independent legislator of the Orissa state assembly:

Murder of Swami was a planned conspiracy against Christians

More than 100 people have lost their lives

Shambhu Nath Naik, independent legislator of the Orissa state assembly, attacked the state government saying that it is a state sponsored anti-Christian communal violence.

He said that no FIR has been registered so far against the arrested rioters. There is coalition government of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state and they are providing logistic support to the VHP people to spread violence and create havoc.

We are not allowed to visit affected areas, he said responding to a question.

He alleged that murder of Swami was a planned conspiracy against Christians there. Swami got a life threat just 26 hours before his murder and despite this threat his PSO, provided him by the government, went on leave and all other police officials deputed for his security, went for dinner just minutes before his killing.

When asked about the official record of death he told that it says 40 lives but more than 100 people have lost their lives in this communal violence. Full Story

Cardinal Oswald Gracias : the persecution against the Church is aimed at stopping Christian promotion of the person

The Archbishop of Bombay and president of the Latin Rite Bishops of India, Cardinal Oswald Gracias said on Vatican Radio that . “These fundamentalist forces do not want the Church to work in support of human rights and the poor. They do not want the Church to contribute to improving the standard of living of these people. For this reason there are problems,” he added. Full Story


Hindu activists had forced about 3,000 Christans in riot-affected parts of the state to renounce their religion in the past few days. But Hindu leaders said all the conversions were voluntary.

“Armed Hindu activists are raiding the villages and threatening them with violence if they do not convert to Hinduism immediately.

“Fearing for their lives, the poor Christians are taking part in the rituals of conversion to Hinduism. For the past week, in many villages, Hindu activists have been conducting forced conversions,” he said.
“The most unfortunate fact is that everything is happening under the nose of the authorities. Despite our appeals neither the state government nor the local police have done anything to protect the Christians.”

Hindu leaders say that their ongoing Hindu “homecoming” ceremonies are being attended voluntarily by Christians. Full story Sphere: Related Content