Still living in tents: victims of violence in Orissa(Photo: (c) Church of North India)The victims are still living in tents and many of the 600 homes that were destroyed are still in ruins.
Months after some of India’s worst anti-Christian violence, churchgoers have been told to return to worship in their ruined buildings.
The report came from a recent visit to the troubled Kandhamal district of Orissa State by the General Secretary of the Church of North India, the Rev Dr Enos Das Pradhan.
He urged local Christians to start holding services in some of the 90 churches that were burnt in communal violence at Christmas.
Untold stories: the victims speak
A mother's story: Kismahti Digal
Ganga Digal's story
Related links
Church of North India (CNI)
Full CNI report (PDF 3.2MB)
All India Christian Council
It was only on 9 April, more than three months after the violence began on Christmas Eve, that Indian courts overturned a ruling banning Christian aid agencies from helping the victims.
The district’s leading administrative official had implemented the ban on the grounds that an influx of agencies would further inflame the situation.
The Church of North India has pledged to rebuild its 19 churches, which were among those destroyed in attacks that marked a clear violation of fundamental rights guaranteed to minorities under India’s constitution.
Now Christians are being encouraged by Dr Pradhan to worship again among the rubble as “a great witness to those who made an attempt to intimidate them”.
The Church has also urged the Orissa state government to put in place a conflict-resolution programme to restore harmony in the region.
Shortly after the attacks, a statement by Human Rights Watch condemned an anti-Christian campaign by Hindu extremists that had been simmering for years in the region, with the complicity of government officials.
“The Orissa government should have addressed this problem before it became violent,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, senior researcher for the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. “The authorities are still failing to react quickly enough, and now ordinary people are being attacked.”
Hindu groups have campaigned vociferously against the right to convert to another religion. Comments at the time on Indian news websites suggested that many shared a view of Christianity as imperialistic and anti-cultural.
The violence began on Christmas Eve 2007 with an attack on the vehicle of a local right-wing Hindu leader, allegedly by members of the Christian community, following opposition of plans for Christmas celebrations.
Yet, says Dr Pradhan, the violence was planned.
“It is beyond doubt that the violence was premeditated, pre-planned and the work of a well disciplined group to ensure simultaneous eruption across the Kandhamal district within hours of the first incident, and to sustain it for five days despite the presence of the highest ranking police officers in the region.”
Horrifying testimonies of some of the victims are also now being fully reported.
One mother stood face to face with the mob: “I asked, ‘How long will you continue this violence?’ They replied with a loud voice, ‘Till all the Christians are wiped
out.’”
Ganga Digal watched homes being destroyed on 26 December, before he himself was attacked and left for dead.
“Within no time they demolished almost all Christian houses and took away all valuables; all of a sudden we found ourselves under the open sky, roofless, lonely and totally devastated and broken.
“In fear I had crossed the main road and entered the nearby forest… Unfortunately, I confronted three strong and stout men who began to chase me to take my life.
“I ran for more than three kilometres till I was totally exhausted… So I turned back and knelt before them with folded hands and begged for mercy and kindness.
“They didn’t pay heed to my request but wounded me with an axe till I became unconscious. They left the place thinking that I was dead.”
The Church of North India is also to provide trauma counselling for communities, and community study centres for children affected by the violence – a kind of halfway house between home and school, both of which have likely been destroyed.