Panel for amendment to Christian divorce law

The Law Commission has recommended to the Union government to amend the law to empower a deserted Christian woman to file a petition to divorce her NRI husband, which otherwise is barred in the existing Act enacted during the British rule 150 years ago.

In its report, Law Commission chairman A R Laxmanan said: “The Law Commission has come to the conclusion that Section 2 of the Divorce Act, 1869, insofar as it concerns the jurisdictional rule in regard to petitions for divorce, is not only not in tune with the present times but is also harsh upon Christian women in India.”
According to the Act enacted by the then British government, a deserted Christian woman does not have the right to file a petition before a family court in India seeking dissolution of her marriage if her husband has taken the citizenship of another country and also a domicile of a foreign country.
The Indian courts should also be given the right to decide on the dissolution of the marriages of Christian couples solemnised abroad, the Commission said. In the report submitted to Union law minister Veerappa Moily, Justice Laxmanan suggested that the law should be amended in order to entitle the Indian courts to entertain a petition for dissolution of a Christian marriage where either of the parties is domiciled in India at the time of presenting the divorce petition.
The Indian law does not confer jurisdiction on family courts to dissolve Christian marriages of non-domiciled couples. Further, in determining the domicile of the parties in a proceeding for dissolution of a marriage, it is the domicile of the man alone which is to be considered since a woman takes the domicile of her husband upon marriage.
Due to this law, many Christian women in India are unable to approach the court, despite being deserted by their husbands living abroad. The Centre had referred the ruling of the Madras High Court in the Indira Rachel vs Union of India to the Law Commission for suitable suggestion, leading to an amendment in the law.
Indira Rachel had filed a petition before the Madras High Court in 1995 seeking direction to allow her to file a petition for divorce from her husband Andrew Solomon Raj, who was then working as assistant supervisor with the Bank of Kuwait and Middle East in Kuwait.
However, before the court could decide on the matter, Raj died, making the petition infructous.
In the suggestion to the government, the high court said:“Therefore, according to us, such provision should be interpreted to mean that the courts in India shall be entitled to entertain petition for dissolution of marriage where either of the parties has domiciled in India at the time when the petition is presented.”

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Fast track court sentenced six persons to three-year RI

Phulbani ( Orissa ) : Six persons have been awarded rigorous punishment and Rs 4,000 fine for their involvement in the Kandhamal violence that rocked entire nation.
This was the third conviction by the court in riot cases.
A fast track court at Phulbani on Tuesday however acquitted five other accused for lack of evidence.
The fast-track court in Kandhamal was hearing a case relating to the torching of a house.
Earlier on September 7, Phulbani fast-track court sentenced six people to four-year jail terms each for their involvement in Kandhamal violence last year.
The Government has set up two fast-track courts to try cases related to the communal violence.

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Kandhamal Conversions: Only two recorded in the official register

Bhubaneswar, Sept 16 Conversion cases in Kandhamal between 2004-2007 far exceeded the official records of just two, the judicial commission probing last year's riots in the district was told today.
"There were many cases of conversions but few intimated the district administration," former Kandhamal district magistrate cum collector Gangadhar Singh told the Justice S C Mahapatra Commission probing the largescale communal violence that followed the killing of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati.
Refusing to comment on whether conversion was a cause of violence in Kandhamal last year, Singh who was the DM of Kandhamal from September 15, 2004 to October 3, 2007, said during cross-examination that though there was a register at the collector's office recording cases of conversion, only two intimations regarding conversion were registered in the district in January, 2004.
"The statutory provisions of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act (OFRA) were not followed", he said, adding that there were no prosecutions as no complaint had been made against conversion, he said.
The census figure, on the other hand, showed rise in the size of population of all religious groups in Kandhamal, he said.

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Conversions took place against law

BHUBANESWAR: Former district collector of Kandhamal Gangadhar Singh on Wednesday said religious conversions had taken place in the southern Orissa district without following the statutory provisions of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act (OFRA), 1967.
Singh, while appearing before the one-man judicial commission, headed by retired Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, informed that till January 2, 2004, the district administration had received only two intimations of change in religion. But conversions without following the provisions of OFRA had taken place, he added, though he refused to agree that such conversions were "large-scale" in nature.
Singh, who was the Kandhamal collector from September 15, 2004, to October 3, 2007, disclosed that during his tenure no prosecution was sanctioned under OFRA. Replying to a query during cross-examination, he said there was widespread encroachment of government land, including forest patches, in the district, but he had not inquired into whether any church was constructed on such encroached land.
Singh, who also submitted an affidavit to the commission, also revealed that as collector he had received oral complaints relating to transportation of cows. Singh, who is presently serving as additional secretary, higher education, said during his tenure as collector there were cases of issue of caste certificates to persons not eligible. But he denied there had been large-scale issue of such "fake" caste certificates.
"During my period the caste certificate issue had not invited law and order situation," he said. He further observed that the demand of the Phulbani Jana Kalyan Sangha, an association formed by some Panas (a SC group), in August 2007, for change of their status to Kui (a ST group) had created serious apprehensions among tribals. "On account of this apprehension some tribal organizations formed a coordinating body, Kui Samaj Coordination Committee, and held rallies and processions in different parts of Kandhamal and submitted memoranda to Governor and chief minister challenging the claims of non-tribals to be recorded as Kui. Because of this, ill-feeling grew among the tribals and non-tribals," he said.
Earlier in the day, inspector general of police Arun Sarangi stuck to his stand that the state police headquarters was not aware of any Maoist threat to Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati (whose murder on August 23, 2008, had triggered ethno-communal carnage in Kandhamal), but stated that "from the report of SP, Kandhamal, and information gathered by me during my visit to Shankaracharya Kanyashram, Jalespeta, after the incident and from other intelligence inputs, it is absolutely clear that the assassination was the work of the CPI (Maoist) cadres."

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Christian meeting held in Karnataka on Human Rights

BANGALORE: Born last year against the backdrop of attacks on churches and church staff, the Karnataka United Christian Federation for Human Rights (KUCFHR) met on Wednesday at the conference hall of the CSI Bishop’s house on Mission Road.

Archbishop Bernard Moras, KUCFHR president, said, “The federation is a common forum for fellowship and dialogue and for collaboration in common concerns particularly of human rights among Christian communities, as also of other minority communities in Karnataka.” He said CSI, Catholic and Methodist bishops, and heads of many other denominations had already claimed that they did not indulge in forcible conversions or denigrate other religions. But KUCFHR would assert Christians’ right to practice the faith without violating the IPC or the Constitution. It would also work towards removing unwarranted or deliberately created animosity against Christians.

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There are no forced conversions

BANGALORE: Bangalore archbishop Bernard Moras has said there has never been a single case of forced or induced conversion by Christians.
Moras was speaking at a meeting of the Karnataka United Christian Forum for Human Rights on Wednesday. The forum, representing the `right of all communities to co-exist peacefully', aims to bring together Christians of different denominations under one roof. Wednesday's meeting was attended by bishops from Bellary, Gulbarga, Karwar, Mangalore, Chikmagalur and other cities.
Moras said the meeting was convened to remind the forum that it had to protect human rights, irrespective of religion. "There are accusations of forced conversions against the community. Let me tell you we cannot convert people like that. We respect all religions and don't convert people either through aggression or enticement. The accusations are wrong," Moras said, explaining that the forum's role is to protect the community when such accusations come up.
"We ourselves have differences of opinion. We should be clear about what stand we should take regarding our community and how we should interact with other communities. We should have common ethics and actions though we have different interpretations of the scriptures," he added.
Bishops of Believers church, Methodist church, Catholic church, CSI church, Jacobite church and members of the Federation of Christian Churches Organisation were present.

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Six sentenced in connection with Orissa violence

Phulbani (Orissa), Sept 7 (PTI) At least six persons including five tribals were today sentenced to four-year's imprisonment and slapped a penalty of Rs 2,000 each after they were convicted in the Kandhamal riot case by a local court.
Additional sessions judge S K Das pronounced punishment for the youths after they were found guilty of setting a number of houses on fire at Gochhapada area during the ethno-communal violence in Kandhamal last year.
They were also found to be making unlawful assembly by defying curfew.
The imprisonment period could extend for three more months in case penalty amount were not paid.
With conviction of six persons, the total number of persons convicted relating to the riot increased to 12 while over 42 persons were acquitted.

PTI

Assault on two Protestant churches in Karnataka. Police accused of aiding and abetting

Bangalore (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Two Protestant churches attacked, Bibles and prayer books destroyed or sequestered, pastors and believers threatened. This happened in the district of Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in southern India.   The crime is reported by the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), which attributes the attack to members of the Sangh Parivar and accuse local police officers of aiding and abetting the violence.

Local sources say that in the late evening of 28 August, a group of Hindu radicals stormed the Gypsy Prayer Hall in Mavunakatte Palay. Led by three well-known activists (Rangantha, Ramalingayya Gowda and Ramesh) members of the Sangh Parivar were seen aboard a jeep along with three deputy superintendents of police, the chief inspector and deputy chief inspector of the district.  

The group has accused Hanuma Naik, the 33-year old pastor the place of worship, of forced conversions and deception, to the detriment of the local inhabitants. After having been beaten along with a student present at the time on the site, police dragged Naik to the police station opening a case against him.

The GCIC reports that after the incursion in Mavunakatte Palay, some of the attackers directed their rage on the Baptist church in Krupashraya. There too the scene was repeated. In the absence of the pastor, the group threatened his wife with punitive actions and confiscated Bibles and prayer books.  

The Sangh Parivar activists then stopped at the Protestant church of the International Cooperation Ministries (ICM) near Agrahar. They failed to cause any major harm given that the pastor barricaded himself into his house for fear of attacks.

Karnataka has long been the scene of assaults and violence against Christians. Already in coincidence with the pogrom in Orissa last summer, the Indian state had recorded attacks on local churches and communities.

Local sources say that the increase in violence has coincided with the coming power in state government of Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2009, Karnataka has recorded at least 10 attacks against Christians, the last dating back to August 11. Mainly Protestant churches are targeted in the attacks accused of carrying out forced conversions.

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Tribal, non-tribal conflicts keep popping up in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: Resentment of tribals against non-tribals cornering their benefits is growing gradually in the State, taking violent form in Narayanpatna block in Koraput district.

Even though the situation is limping back to normalcy with the passage of time, the incidents of the last two months in the block, which is also a Maoist-infested area, has led to non-tribals leaving the area in fear. Reports reaching here said that the tribals are now slowly returning land forcibly acquired by them from some non-tribal families.

While the State Government has constituted a high-level committee to solve the problems which mostly are land related, the non-tribals are not yet fully confident of returning to their villages.

Elsewhere also, the situation is slowly turning serious. Though the situation has not aggravated like in Narayanpatna, rallies taken out by the tribals from time to time have put the district administrations on the defensive. Tribals in several districts are demanding that those who have usurped their benefits should be identified and condign punishment should be initiated against them. The State Government has made a beginning in Kandhamal district where the problem was identified as the root cause behind the riots which claimed more than 40 lives.

Persons who had submitted fake certificates to get government jobs and corner other benefits available for the tribals were identified and two dismissed from service. Similar demands have been raised by tribals from Balangir, Sonepur and Nuapara districts.

The white paper on law and order circulated by the State Government has admitted that such demands are coming in from the tribals of various districts on a regular basis. It said that the situations were brought under control by the timely intervention of the police on many occasions.

Meanwhile, 1,639 cases of torture on SC and ST were lodged during last year. Out of these, police have filed chargesheets in 196 cases. It said that chargesheets will be filed in 1,246 more cases. All 196 cases in which chargesheets have been filed are sub judice. It said that 1,355 cases are under police investigation.

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Status of Government help in Kandhamal: Official figures say less than half homes rebuilt

Bhubaneswar, Aug 28 (PTI) A year after houses and places of worship were ravaged during communal violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district, only 1981 houses were rebuilt completely while 70 Churches and other prayer houses have received financial assistance from the state government, official sources said here today.
Out of the 4600 houses damaged in the riots in the aftermath of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati's killing on August 23 last year, a total of 4435 families have received the first instalment for reconstruction of their houses, they said.
Similarly, 2868 people have so far got second phase instalment for house building while 1981 houses were completely rebuilt, said Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy, who reviewed the progress on the special package for the riot victims.
Describing the rehabilitation project as "satisfactory", Tripathy attributed the delay in repairing of houses to the unwillingness of people in returning to villages even after the tension eased out.

PTI

In Kandhamal, youth clubs to heal riot scars

Bhubaneswar : A year after the Kandhamal riots, the district administration is hoping that a unique initiative involving youth will help defuse the hostility between the tribal Hindus and Dalit Christians, even as it spreads awareness about government schemes.

Kandhamal witnessed a spate of violence after VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples were gunned down by Maoists in Jalespeta on August 23 last year. More than 40 people were killed in the riots and hundreds injured. Thousands of Christians lost their homes and took refuge in several relief camps, two of which still house around 700 people altogether.

However, the government hopes that a multi-departmental and multi-structured administrative approach called Antaranga (intimate) will help salve some of the wounds left behind by the riots. The programme has been launched in around 90 gram panchayats in an effort to bring different communities together.

“Under the programme, we are setting up Antaranga clubs with 20 youths as members who would be made aware of different government programmes. The youth clubs have equal representation from Christians, Hindus, Dalits, tribals and women. We have observed that if the energies of the youths are not channelised properly, then riots like those of 2008 may recur,” said Kandhamal Collector Krishan Kumar.

District officials said lack of development in Kandhamal contributed to the communal tension in the district. While some people gravitated towards Christianity as a way to better their lot, Hindu backlash also started as proponents of the Hindutva brigade claimed that the missionaries, funded by foreign NGOs, were out to make the district a “land of Christians”.

“For illiterate tribals and Dalits, flitting from one religion to another was their only vocation as basic development eluded them. They simply did not have any idea about the government programmes being implemented in the district and thus take advantage,” said an official.

The aim is to put in place 100 such clubs with 2,000 youths as members by the end of September.

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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.