The riot among the
Hindus and Muslims occurred in Rourkela in 1964-65 had lasted only for
three days. But, in Kandhamal it has been continuing since last
20-days. It can be considered as the worst ever communal violence
witnessed within Orissa. When the Government claims that the situation
is peaceful and under control, but the reality is complete opposite.
People are left as completely terror-stricken and nobody from minority
community feels safe in villages, prefers to stay back in relief camps.
On 11th September 08 the Orissa government informed the Supreme Court
that the law and order situation in Kandhamal had "improved
considerably" and was now under control. In this regards, a detailed
affidavit was submitted by the Orissa Home Secretary T.K. Mishra on
behalf of the government, in response to a writ petition filed by
Raphael Cheenath, the Cuttack Achbishop. The State Government's Counsel
also informed the Apex Court Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G.
Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam, that all steps taken by the
administration to maintain law had been taken. So far, the government
has formed 354 peace committees to help restore harmony. Some 421
criminal cases have been instituted against the rioters and 629 persons
involved in the violence have been booked. In the petition, the
government also informed the Supreme Court that VHP leader Praveen
Togadia's proposed kalash yatra was also barred from entering the
district. It is yet to be informed of who the people in the peace
committees are and how far they have earned the 'real' confidence of
the villagers belonging to the minority community.
The Government and Sangha Parivar are trying to project the entire
incident as a reflection of the age-old conflicts in between Adivasis
and Dalits and situation under control. This is further palpable from
the Chief Secretary's discussion with USA Consul General Ms Beth A
Payne on 11th September. The Officer informed to Ms Payne, who has come
to meet the Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik and others for some
commercial purposes at the Orissa Secretariat, - that it was not a
communal violence against Christians, rather group clashes in between
adivasis and dalits and now it is under control.
The question arises - what does 'situation is under control' mean,
under whose control is it? The information as gathered from the field,
it is under the control of the VHP, Bajrang Dal and their hooligans
backed by BJP leaders. One civil society fact finding team returned
today to Bhubaneswar after visiting the area. As we got from them
through informal talks (they will present their official report after 1
or 2 days), they had to take permission from the district authority
before entering into villages. The situation is unthinkably scaring and
suspicious. Everybody is awfully waiting under uncertainty – as if, it
may bring another big trouble next day. Even NGOs and reporters are
under constant fear of being threatened.
The already ravished, terrorized, emotionally broken dalits and
adivasis are being converted from Christianity to Hinduism in a
well-planned manner. A villager (Christian) from Baliguda block called
and informed today that they have been given a ultimatum by VHP people
that they have to keep themselves prepared with two cocoanuts,
non-boiled rice (arua chaula) and other items for attending
re-conversion (sanskar) ceremony on 15th September 2008. In case they
failed to do so, what will happen – only time can tell? 'In the
meantime more than 1000 families have been reconverted within 15-days'
according to a reporter, who does not want to disclose his identity.
A couple of days back, the leaders of VHP and RSS have announced to
wipe out Christians from Kandhamal District shortly. This was
reiterated by Sangha leaders on 11th September before press. Addressing
media persons after his meeting with Sankaracharya, the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad Chief, Ashok Singhal said while the crucifixion of Jesus
helped in spreading Christianity worldwide, the killing of Swami
Lakshmanananda Saraswati would end conversions and cow slaughter. He
reiterated his vow to put an end to conversions in the country. Also he
told that recently thousands of 'forcefully or deceptively' converted
people in Kandhamal are coming back to Hinduism after they realized
that the Christianity can not give them security and protection. State
VHP leader Mr. Subash Chouhan said that religious functions would also
be conducted to reconvert all the converts into the Hindu fold. He also
said a month-long campaign from September 23 would be launched in which
the holy 'soils' from the 'samadhi' of Swami Lakshmanananda would be
taken in a procession to all the villages in the Kandhamal where the
Christian missionaries had converted a large number of native tribal
population into Christianity.
The 'reconversion programme' has been planned and being carried out
very systematically in association with many influential persons and
institutions. The VHP Supremo – Mr.Singhal had a closed-door meeting
with the Puri Shankaracharya, Swami Neeschalananda Saraswati, at his
mutt at Puri for over an hour. Also he had meets with the CM and the
leaders of RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP separately.
When the Government claiming the situation is peaceful and normal in
Kandhamal, then why did the District Collector of Kandhamal, Krishan
Kumar asked the State Election Commission to postpone the urban local
bodies' poll in the area scheduled to be held Sep 19 since the
situation had not become completely normal.' The situation is under
control but in some areas, it continues to be tense,' he said. 'More
than 20,000 people have been living in 18 relief camps and many of them
have said they don't want to return home at this moment because they
still fear a threat to their lives,' Although the ban order is still in
force across the district, thousands of women blocked several roads
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to demand the release of those (VHP
people) arrested on rioting charges. This demand was put before the
Orissa CM by none other than Mr.Ashok Singhal. These women, mostly
tribals, often take to the streets defying prohibitory orders, admitted
by Mr.Kumar. Why the administration is not able to stop these and
arrest the RSS, VHP, BJP leaders who are mobilizing these women to
organize such rallies near relief camps and creating atmosphere of
terror and insecurity for the people in camps.
People belonging to minority communities either in relief camps or
villages or outside are under constant fear, insecurity. They do not
have other choices than to 'reconvert or die'. Now, the freedom,
dignity and right of the adivasis and dalits are in the hands of VHP
and BJP leaders and their hired hooligans. The Constitutional rights of
a section of Indian citizens, who are said to be the original
inhabitants (indigenous communities), are under captivity. Not to speak
of taking up any actions to ensure their rights, the Government looks
helpless before the designs of fundamentalists. The suspicion of the
minority communities about the State of siding with communal forces and
compromising its constitutional responsibilities as secular and
democratic polity is gaining more ground. Of course the Civil Society
still hopes 'the Navin government is not a collaborator, but a helpless
and mute spectator'.
The Government and BJD-BJP leaders have strongly refused to accept the
demand for CBI enquiry into both the murder of Laxmanananda and that of
Christians. Actually whatever level of importance is given for the
enquiry of Laxmanananda case, is below expectation. Comparing to it, a
little has been done to trace out the murderers of innocent Christians
during subsequent violence. The affected people are sometimes
threatened by the hooligans not to file their FIRs against their
leaders and followers and also discouraged by the local Police at some
other time. After 15-days many people have not been able to file FIRs.
There is no special arrangement by the administration for filing FIRs
by affected ones, security of victims and protection of witness. Even
the District authority is not allowing the Civil Society to help in
providing legal aids to these hapless people, while the perpetrators of
the violence are moving freely and intimidating the poor adivasis and
dalits.
In the meantime, the Sangh Parivar prepared a list of about 140 people
from Christian community alleging them to be the killers of
Laxmanananda without any substantial proof and distributing it among
its supporters with a purpose to punish them in case the Government
fails to do the same and Mr.Singhal submitted the list to the CM. It
has created danger for the lives of these people. The 'rule of the
Sangh Parivar' overpowers the 'rule of law'. Immediately after the
killing of Laxmanananda, disregarding the views of the Police DG, CM;
they declared the Christian Community as responsible for the crime and
also they announced the punishment that the 'Hindus would react
severely'. And also they implemented the punishment by killing
women-men, lynching disabled persons and children, burning Christian
houses, shops, churches. The Sangh leaders decided not to undertake
autopsy of the bodies of Laxmanananda and his disciples, the
Administration obeyed it. The Sangh and BJP made the Government not to
go for CBI enquiry. The VHP leaders expressed unhappiness over the
investigation into the killing of Swami Laxmanananda by the Crime
Branch and alleged that the Government was shielding the culprits.
Eighteen days after the death of the Swami police are yet to identify
the killers, he said. But they did not show slightest interest about
the killing of innocent people subsequently and also they do not want
it to be given to the CBI for enquiry. Then, what should we expect now
from the Constitutional authorities, opposition political parties and
civil society??
(The write-up is based on media reports and field information.)
(I am a Human Rights' Activist based in Bhubaneswar working
independently.I have 30 years of experiences in working on various
social issues in association with differsnt Non-Governmental
organisations and political parties based in Orissa.I did my MA in
Political Science.I began my social career from Students' Movements in
80s'.)
http://www.countercurrents.org/panda180908.htm
