Maoists claim responsibility for killing Laxmanananda Saraswati
- From: simple.language.yahoo@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:20:32 -0700 (PDT)
source: http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=lead&lang=en&length=long&idelement=&backpage=&critere=&countryname=&rowcur=
A Maoist group today claimed responsibility for killing Hindu
extremist leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples in
Orissa state on August 23, saying that fanatical Hindus’ claims that
Christians murdered him were “lies.”
The violence that has claimed the lives of least 36 people, most of
them Christians, and destroyed hundreds of churches and homes
continued over the weekend as Hindu extremists continued to blame
Christians for the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu
Council or VHP) leader.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, an
extreme Marxist group banned by the Indian government, released a
statement today saying that Sangh Parivar, the family of Hindu
extremist groups led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, have
deliberately misled people about Saraswati’s death.
“The Sangh Parivar leaders like Praveen Togadia have been trying to
divert the people by uttering lies that it is not the Maoists but
Christian organizations that had carried out the attack on the VHP
leader,” the Marxist group stated.
The statement said Saraswati was a “rabid anti-Christian ideologue and
persecutor of innocent Christians who was responsible for the burning
down of over 400 churches in Kandhamal district alone.”
Saraswati, who had run a campaign against Christian missionaries for
several decades in Orissa, was allegedly behind a spate of anti-
Christian attacks in Kandhamal district last Christmas season. The
violence lasted for more than a week beginning December 24, and killed
at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.
The Maoist statement warned the VHP of “more such punishments if it
continued violence against religious minorities in the country” and
called for a ban on groups linked to the Sangh Parivar, such as the
VHP, its youth wing Bajrang Dal, right-wing Hindu political party Shiv
Sena and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On August 30 private news channel NDTV 24X7 quoted unnamed government
sources as saying that their assessment was that Christians had no
role in the killing of Saraswati, and that the probe was leading to
Maoist culprits.
Christian leaders said that as a result of the violence more tha
50,000 Christians are living as refugees in jungles.
Fresh Attacks
According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), today at least
two churches and a motorbike were burned and a pastor was beaten in
Koraput district.
The Orissa Missionary Movement Church and the Bible Mission Church
were set ablaze by mobs in Jeypore town, according to EFI, and also in
Jeypore a pastor of the Blessing Youth Mission was attacked.
The state government today said 543 houses had been burned in
Kandhamal alone thus far, IANS reported.
Although the number of incidents has come down compared with last
week, fresh attacks were reported yesterday. Indo-Asian News Service
(IANS) reported today that the violence had spread to three more
districts of Orissa.
“Security forces had been deployed in nine districts [of Orissa] since
August 23, but policemen are now being deployed in an additional three
districts,” Inspector General of Police Pradeep Kapur told IANS.
Security forces had been deployed in the districts of Bolangir,
Bargarh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Rayagada, Bhadrak and
Kendrapada. Kapur, however, refused to tell the three additional
districts where police personnel had been deployed.
Yesterday several churches and houses were burned in Bataguda and
Parampanga areas of Kandhamal district, Boriguma area of Koraput
district and in parts of Rayagada district, according to IANS.
The Hindu newspaper reported that eight prayer houses were damaged in
Kundra area of Koraput district on Sunday.
“Violence erupted in the district following a clash between two groups
in Jeypore town on Saturday and five churches were damaged,” the
newspaper reported, adding that a curfew was still in force.
Although the violence began more than a week ago, police are still
saying they are not able to reach interior villages of Kandhamal. The
state government has now reportedly asked for additional central
paramilitary forces to control the violence.
While many parts of Orissa remained under curfew today, over 13,000
people were reportedly living in relief centers set up by the state
government in seven places in Kandhamal.
‘Reconversions’
With violence continuing with little or no police protection,
Christian leaders said many fearful believers have been forcibly
“reconverted” to Hinduism.
According to The Indian Express, more than a hundred Christians
“reconverted” to Hinduism in Kandhamal on Friday and Saturday (Aug.
29-30).
“I have heard that reconversions are taking place and I am looking
into it,” Kandhamal Revenue Divisional Commissioner Satyabarat Sahoo
told the newspaper.
A number of reconversions have reportedly taken place in Raikia,
Baliguda, Barakhama and others areas of Kandhamal, the newspaper
reported.
Dr. Sajan K. George, president of the Global Council of India
Christians, told Compass that Hindu extremist groups are
“reconverting” Christians by force.
“We have collected evidence and given it to authorities,” he said.
“However, the police and other state government authorities are not
doing anything.”
George led a sit-in protest with local Christians in front of the
state legislative assembly building in state capital Bhubaneswar, and
submitted a memorandum to the state governor on Saturday (Aug. 30).
Brahmachari Shankar Chaitanya, successor of the slain Saraswati,
asserted that the conversions were “purely voluntary.”
“If misguided people want to come back to Hinduism they will do so,
and it is our duty to extend all necessary help and embrace them,”
Chaitanya told The Indian Express.
‘Punish the Killers’
Christians noted that the violence by VHP extremists is in a state
ruled by a coalition of Biju Janata Dal party and the BJP.
A delegation comprising a noted filmmaker and Christians from various
denominations today submitted a memorandum to the Indian President
Pratibha Patil demanding action against the VHP and other groups for
leading mobs to kill and attack Christians.
The delegation urged the president to invoke Article 355 of the
constitution, which states that the federal government has a duty to
protect states against external aggression and internal disturbance.
The delegation included film director Mahesh Bhatt; Dr. Abraham
Mathai, vice chairman of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission;
Dr. John Dayal, member of the National Integration Council of India;
Mehmood Madani, member of Parliament; Archbishop Raphael Cheenath from
Orissa; Delhi Archbishop Vincent Concessao; the Rev. Dr. Babu Joseph,
spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India; Joseph Dias
from the Catholic Secular Front; the Rev. Madhu Chandra of the All
India Christian Council, and Jenis Francis of the Federation of
Catholic Associations.
“More than 50,000 Christians are living as refugees following the
violence in Orissa,” Mathai told reporters. “All the political parties
are sitting as mute spectators.”
Christians make up 2.4 percent of the state’s population, or 897,861
of the 36.7 million people.
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