Orissa, acquitted for lack of evidence one of the brains behind anti-Christian pogrom

by Nirmala Carvalho. www.asianews.it
Charges of arson against Manoj Pradhan, one of 14 charges against him, are dropped. BJP leader and elected to the legislature of Orissa, he is accused of killing 7 Christians. Activists denounce the inaction of the administration in punishing those responsible for crimes.

Kandhamal (AsiaNews) - Manoj Pradhan was acquitted of arson, in one of the 14 charges against pending against him. He is one of the brains of the pogrom against Christians in Orissa, a local court has acquitted him for "lack of evidence." The Court's decision casts Christian activists into confusion, who report yet another case of government "inertia" in "punishing those responsible" for violence.

Manoj Pradhan, an right-wing activist belonging to the Hindu nationalist movement Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and recently elected to the Legislative Assembly of Orissa, is accused of 14 instances of violence, including 7 murders of Christians. One concerns an arson attack on the village of Pisamaha, August 27, 2008, in which many homes of Christian families were destroyed. Gutia Digal, a resident of the village, lodged a complaint against Pradhan; in the trial initiated against him, the court decided to acquit because the evidence "is insufficient to issue a verdict."

Harsh reaction from Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), who speaks of "inertia of the administration in seeing justice done for the atrocities committed against Christians." He denounces the "free hand enjoyed by the Sangh Parivar, the Hindu nationalist movement," in attacking and killing Christians, burning and destroying houses and property in Kandhamal, where many of the guilty "still roam freely and unpunished”.

The GCIC once again calls for "justice" and "measures" against those who want to "intimidate the Christians who testify" in the trails surrounding events in Orissa. "The state is failing - adds Sajan K George - in the primary task of using his power to ensure security and justice ... The GCIC has a list of 123 people killed (the total number of deaths exceeds 500, note) during anti-violence -Christian".

The Christian activist, finally, points also denounces "inadequate compensation" and "massive delays" in compensation for victims of violence, along with possible "cases of corruption by officials" of state government.

40 students flee Kandhamal school

BERHAMPUR: About 40 students ran away from a hostel of a government-run SC/ST school in Kandhamal district Thursday.

The pupils of sevashram (primary school) at Bhaliapani in Tumudibandh block said they are "getting a raw deal" from the headmistress. "The quality of food is very bad. When we tell her about it, she takes a non-chllanr approach. She even refuses to give us blankets and school uniforms," said a student on condition of anonymity.
The students also put up posters on the school walls, demanding the headmistress' ouster.
District authorities denied the charges. "Someone with an ill intention may have instigated the innocent children," an official said.
District welfare officer (Kandhamal) N R Kanhar and other officials rushed to the village to take stock of the situation. Kanhar said 12 students have returned to the school. "Efforts are on to bring back the others," he added.
The Bhaliapani incident follows cases reported from two kanyashrams (state-run high schools for girls) at Pakalamahala in Daringibadi block and Lingagada in Baliguda recently.
Alarmed over the spurt of cases of runaway students, the state government has asked panchayats to monitor the running of SC/ST schools. The government has also asked block development officers to hold regular meetings with panchayat representatives, headmasters and hostel superintendents to discuss various problems faced by the institutions.
"When elected representatives monitor the management of schools and discuss problems faced by teachers and students, the government can take effective measures to improve the situation," the government circular said.
The directive, however, remains only in pen and paper. Most BDOs in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district have failed to call such a meeting even as schools run by the SC/ST welfare department continue to face a host of problems, including alleged mismanagement.

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Religious Freedom Panel Slams India

By Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) plans to announce later today that it has placed India on its watch list because of that country's "inadequate" response to religious violence, particularly against the country's Muslim and Christian minorities.
USCIRF is an independent U.S. agency whose job is to make sure religious freedom is taken into account in U.S. foreign policy. Its watch list consists of countries with governments that tolerate "serious violations of religious freedom." The watch list isn't as draconian as the commission's list of "countries of particular concern" (for governments that tolerate more severe violations of religious freedom).

Either way, it's not a list that most foreign governments like to find themselves on. (Some on the list, such as Burma and Iran, probably don't care.)

It's also likely to annoy the State Department, which has long complained that foreign government mistakenly believe that the commission makes U.S. policy--which it doesn't. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited India in July, when the countries announced agreements to strengthen a relationship that has dramatically improved in recent years.

Yesterday, a State Department spokesperson stressed that the commission is an independent federal commission.

"It doesn't speak for the U.S. government," she said. "While the State Department considers its recommendation very carefully, it is not bound by them."

There are already signs that USCIRF's decision to place India on its watch list could cause problems between the U.S. and India. Some of the eight members of USCIRF had planned a June trip to the country to look into reports of religious violence, but their applications for visas were turned down.

Conservative groups from the Hindu majority criticized the visit. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) of America warned in a statement that a trip would signal that President Barack Obama's administration "does not care if its relationship with a peaceful, democratic nation is jeopardized."

In an interview, USCIRF chairman Leonard Leo rejected the warnings that placing India on the watch list would jeopardize U.S.-Indian relations.

"We always have policy recommendations, and we try to be fairly specific about what our concerns are," he said. "We try not to paint with a broad brush, which is meant to be a signal that we are trying to be honest and fair...We're trying to spark a meaningful dialogue and create a partnership for improving the situation."

In its report, USCIRF paints a grim picture of religious persecution in India, charging that national and local judiciaries and police are unwilling or unable to deal with the religious violence that regularly rocks the country. That includes the 2002 mass killings of Muslims in the state of Gujarat that left 2,000 dead and attacks on Christian churches and individuals in the state of Orissa in 2007 and 2008. USCIRF also defends proselytizers, criticizing laws in several Indian states that make religious conversions difficult. The laws generally require government officials to determine whether it is a "sincere" conversion.

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Christian body moves court over distribution of Bible

BANGALORE: A Christian organisation on Monday petitioned the Karnataka High Court against what it alleged as illegal attempts by the State Government to prevent the distribution of the Bible in schools in Karnataka.

Christian Legal Association said the State Government was perusing a policy of selectively propagating only one religion while ignoring other religions. It charged the State Government with preventing dissemination of knowledge of the Bible by preventing public educational institutions from receiving such books.

It alleged that the State had issued a circular on June 29, 2006, directing all educational institutions to purchase books pertaining to Hindu religion.

The association said when it had sought permission to distribute free copies of the Bible in schools, the State had initially agreed but backtracked subsequently. It urged the court to direct the State to permit distribution of the Bible in schools.

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking census of backward classes in the State came up for hearing before the Karnataka High Court.

Petitioner A. Mohanakrishnan urged the court to direct the State to take up census of backward classes and to survey their social, economic and educational standing.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit adjourned hearing of the case.

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Christian body moves court over distribution of Bible

BANGALORE: A Christian organisation on Monday petitioned the Karnataka High Court against what it alleged as illegal attempts by the State Government to prevent the distribution of the Bible in schools in Karnataka.

Christian Legal Association said the State Government was perusing a policy of selectively propagating only one religion while ignoring other religions. It charged the State Government with preventing dissemination of knowledge of the Bible by preventing public educational institutions from receiving such books.

It alleged that the State had issued a circular on June 29, 2006, directing all educational institutions to purchase books pertaining to Hindu religion.

The association said when it had sought permission to distribute free copies of the Bible in schools, the State had initially agreed but backtracked subsequently. It urged the court to direct the State to permit distribution of the Bible in schools.

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking census of backward classes in the State came up for hearing before the Karnataka High Court.

Petitioner A. Mohanakrishnan urged the court to direct the State to take up census of backward classes and to survey their social, economic and educational standing.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit adjourned hearing of the case.

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16 acquitted in Kandhamal riots case

Phulbani (Orissa), Aug 1 (PTI) Sixteen persons arrested in connection with the killing of an OSAP constable and setting fire to a police station in Orissa's Kandhamal district during communal riots last year, were acquitted by a local court here due to lack of evidence.
The Additional Sessions Judge, fast track court, Phulbani passed the order yesterday.
Aggrieved over the police action against them during the communal riots, a mob consisting of mostly tribals, had attacked the police station at Gochhapada, 30 km from here on the night of September 15, 2008, the prosecution said.
They had also gunned down Bibhudendra Biswal, an on-duty jawan of the OSAP 3rd batallion near the police station.
All the accused belonged to nearby villages of Tambisuga, Gorasahi, Pipalmal, Murja and Gochhapara.

Fresh tension in Kandhamal

PHULBANI (ORISSA): School students allegedly assaulted two persons for carrying beef through their institute premises in Kotgarh area, triggering tension in the communally sensitive Kandhamal district, official sources said today.

Nakul Nayak of Belghar village and Surendra Nayak of Kotgarh allegedly carried beef through the premises of Asaramji Bapu High School on Sunday.

The students, who are opposed to cow slaughter, caught the duo and allegedly assaulted them before handing them over to the police, the sources said.

Sent to judicial custody

The duo was sent to judicial custody after their bail petition was rejected by a local court. “The beef consignment has been sent to Baliguda for examination,” the sources said.

Besides religious conversion, cow slaughter is another factor behind frequent tension between the two communities.

Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar rushed to Kotgarh along with additional force as precautionary measure since the incident occurred just ahead of Janmashtami on August 13.

“The situation is under control,” Mr. Kumar said.

The district administration has convened a peace meeting on August 5 in order to impress upon leaders of different communities to refrain from activities that hurt each other. — PTI

Slain Kerala priest's family want another autopsy

he family of Catholic priest James Mukalel, who was found dead on the roadside in Karnataka's Dakshin Kannada district earlier this week, have decided to go in for another post-mortem to ascertain the cause of his death.

The 38-year-old's body is now at the St. Sebastian's Church at Vellad in Kannur district and the last rites would be performed on Saturday by a team of priests, said Deny George, a family friend of Mukalel.

"Once the service gets over, the body will be taken to the Government Medical College at Kozhikode for another post-mortem because close relatives, including his parents and his brother Tomy, feel there is something wrong," George, an advocate by profession, told IANS.

"The body has already undergone a post-mortem in Mangalore and arrived in Kannur on Friday evening. As and when the body comes back from the hospital, it would be buried in the cemetery at St. Sebastian's Church," he said.

Mukalel's naked body was lying at a distance from his motorbike on which he was returning to Kutrupady near Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada after attending the funeral of another parish priest in the adjacent Charmadi village.

The young priest was recently posted at St. Mary's Church at Kutrupady after a three-year service at Thotthady near Belthangady.

The police in Karnataka have already registered a case of unnatural death. The body did not bear external wounds or signs of attack. The coastal district police have formed a team to investigate the priest's death as there was no pillion-rider with him or witness to give an account of the incident.

The coastal district had witnessed a spate of attacks last year on churches and chapels by Hindu activists protesting alleged forcible conversions by missionaries and priests.

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Dharma Sena attacks house of love, Jabalpur

A mob of about 40 Hindu extremists allegedly from Dharam Sena attacked Sneh Sadan Institute (Home of Love) run by the Christians on July 26 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
According to an EFI correspondent, Akhilesh Edgar, at about 12:30 a.m. the Hindu extremists, shouting anti-Christians tried to enter the handicapped and mentally retarded institute run by the Methodist Church.
The extremists accused the institute manager, Mrs Lily Paul of forceful conversion and filed a complaint against her prior to the attack. The police arrived on the spot before the extremists ‘ done any major harm to the Christians, according to reports.
The police took written statement about the institute. After an enquiry, the police provided the Christians police protection and promised to give them security in the future. The incident was flashed in local dailies.
Sneh Sadan was set up in 1779 and has been the "home sweet home" for many special people. There are about 40 people living in the institute now.
Praise God for the timely intervention of the police and please pray for all the people in the home.

Main kingpin and key accused of the Kandhamal riots back in prison

Manoj Pradhan, BJP MLA from G Udayagiri who was the main kingpin and key accused of the Kandhamal riots is back in jail after his extended interim bail term expired on 31^st July 2009 (Friday). Pradhan is a key accused in the Kandhamal riots that broke out after the assassination of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in 23^rd August 2008.

Pradhan was granted bail by Orissa High Court on July 4, but walked out of prison the next day. He took oath as a member of the august house on July 6.

Pradhan is the one amongst the only six BJP MLAs who had won the vote staying behind the bars. 14 cases of murder, attempt murder, riots and arson, were registered against him.

The court had granted him bail for fifteen days only. But as his bail term was about to expire, he approached the court again and succeeded in seeing his bail period extended till July 31.