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India: Renewed Upsurge of Anti-Christian Violence by Hindu Extremists in Orissa

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Published: Monday 01 September 2008

India: Renewed Upsurge of Anti-Christian Violence by Hindu Extremists in Orissa

Project(s): 21-723

Country: INDIA

We have to report a shocking new outbreak of violence against Christians in the Indian state of Orissa, which has continued for several days.

A destroyed Christian Orphanage

On Saturday 23 August the Hindu leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his associates were assassinated. Saraswati, who was a senior figure in the nationalist VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad), had called for India to become a Hindu nation, and strongly opposed the conversion of Hindus to Christianity. The police and state officials have blamed the attack on suspected Maoist rebels, and Christian leaders in India have clearly condemned it. But the VHP and its allies alleged in inflammatory speeches that Christians were responsible, and they called a protest that rapidly escalated into violence.

The media have very limited access to Orissa at present, and reports from the region are still somewhat confused. But it is already clear that damage to property is extensive. Scores of church buildings have been demolished, and hundreds of homes destroyed. Other Christian institutions, including schools, offices and prayer houses, have been vandalised, looted or burned. Buses and other vehicles have been torched.

Many Christians have been attacked, especially in rural areas where mobs are attacking whole villages. Church leaders have been beaten up and women raped, and as many as 10,000 believers may have fled into the jungle for safety, without food or protection from the monsoon rains. Current reports of the death toll range from 12 to 36.

Christian_shop_is_burnt
The remains of a Christian shop

Some of the stories emerging from the area are truly horrific. A young woman attempted to stop the extremists from attacking the children at a Christian orphanage, and was thrown alive into the burning building, where she died. A paralysed man in another village was unable to escape from a fire and was burned to death. A pastor was killed and his body cut in pieces.

The response of the state government appears to have been patchy at best. At first the rioters blocked roads to hinder the progress of government forces. Later it was reported that curfews had been imposed, but these have not been consistently enforced. Additional protection has been provided in the towns, but not in the countryside. Christian leaders have appealed to the national government for help, and thousands of Christian schools and colleges have been closed in protest.

Please help our brothers and sisters in need:

Last Christmas Hindu extremists launched a large-scale and violent attack on the Christian community in Orissa. On that occasion too, many churches and homes were burned and several people killed. Many of those who fled at the time are still living in a refugee camp, and much of the necessary rebuilding is still to be done.

Barnabas Fund has been assisting Christians in Orissa since that time. A total of £58,150 (US$104,873, €71,611) has been sent to provide food aid, clothes, replacement bedding, medical expenses, trauma counselling and school materials for children, and to help repair churches. Sadly these needs have once again become immediate and urgent.

A relief camp for refugees of the violence

Donate today

If you can help, please click this link to donate online using our secure server. (Please quote project reference 21-723)
If you prefer to telephone, dial: +44 1672 565031 from outside the UK. (Please quote project reference 21-723)

If you prefer to send a cheque by post: Click this link for addresses of our regional offices. (Please quote project reference 21-723)

Please Pray:

1. Pray that intervention by the authorities will be sufficient to quell the unrest, and that Christians in Orissa will be better protected in future. Pray that the police and government will administer security impartially, without regard to religion.

2. Pray for Christians who have lost their loved ones, houses or other property, for those who have suffered violence, and for those who are afraid to go home. Pray for the rebuilding of their lives, and that they may respond to their attackers with love and forgiveness.

3. Pray for the persecutors, that they may learn to live in peace with their Christian neighbours. Pray too that they may see the Spirit of Christ in believers and be moved to respond in faith.