India update 12-19-08

Fri, 19/12/2008 - 7:56am Petition on line to Shri Advaniji, Opposition leader of India
http://www.petitiononline.com/advaniji/petition.html
ToMr.L.K.AdvaniOpposition LeaderLok Sabha, New Delhi
Dear Mr LK Advani,A 12 hour Bandh [shutdown] have been called in the State of Orissa by Swami Laxmananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti supported by the Viswa Hindu Parishad[VHP] on December 25 2008,the day of Christmas.
We the people of India request you to please use your influence on the organisers to postpone this Bandh which is planned for the Christmas Day, since a Bandh on a day of festivities for Christians may lead to further division of people on religious lines. The country has just suffered terrible Terrorists Attacks in Mumbai and we all need peace and unity at a time like this. This gesture of yours will go a long way towards bringing harmony and Unity amongst the people of Orissa.Thanking You,
The Citizens of India.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 9:13pm NHRC calls for protection of Christians in Orissa
Dec 18th, 2008 New Delhi, Dec 18 : Apprehending a fresh wave of clashes following radical Hindu groups’ call for an Orissa shutdown on Christmas day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to top officials asking what measures have been taken to provide security to Christians.
‘The commission has given the chief secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) Orissa three days to submit a report on the measures taken for protection of Christians during the Christmas season,
Radical Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration has failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day.Acting on Congress leader Margaret Alva’s complaint, the commission issued the notice.
‘Alva expressed apprehension that violence may erupt in Orissa in the wake of bandh call given by Hindu organization on Dec 25 and many lives may be lost during the Christmas season,’ the official added.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:44pm Breaking news-Jubaraj Digal christian leader killed in Orissa
Phulbhani;18th Dec08Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block was confirmed dead.
Hindu extremists on Dec 16th, assaulted Mr. Jubaraj Digal, a Christian leader of Kanjamendi village under K. Nuagaon Block.
Digal, was returning home along with his son Muna, from Congress MLA Mrs. Ajayanti Pradhan , where he is employed as her PS.
Around 6.30 PM, extremists stopped his motor bike on the road between Telengia to Sitapanga.
The extremist started hitting them mercilessly, luckily his son escaped on the motorbike and reached G. Udaygiri PS around 9.45 pm and informed the police.
Police immediately went for spot inquiry but found nothing.
Police have registered a MISSING case under FIR NO.400, dtd17.12.08 and investigating further on the said matter.
According to GCIC regional co.ordinator, this may be communal attack by Sangh Parivar as a prelude to Orissa Bandh on 25th December, 2008, they have rulled out that aspect.
His family relatives have told us that he has been kidnapped by the RSS and BJP activists
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 4:17pm Central intervention in Orissa to check VHP -Parliamentarians
New Delhi : 18th Dec-08 Member of parliament from Kerala, Suresh Kurup, in Lok Sabha, on Thursday, charged Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP with making a systematic attempt to create "terror" among Christian minorities in Orissa by calling a 'bandh' on Christmas Day.
As BJP MPs stood up in protest, Suresh Kurup, went on to demand that the Centre immediately intervene to ensure protection of the lives and properties of the Christians in Orissa.
"A systematic attempt is being made by the Sangh Parivar outfits like VHP to attack and terrorise the Christians. The attacks began on the eve of Christmas last year and these were followed by systematic attacks against the minorities in Kandhamal," Kurup said, while strongly condemning the moves.
When the BJP members continued their vociferous protest, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House for lunch.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 18/12/2008 - 7:13am Sealed prayer halls in Karnataka open till January 1
DAVANGERE:18th Dec- The B.K. Somashekara Commission of Inquiry has, in an interim arrangement, directed the Davangere district administration to allow the two Christian prayer halls sealed by it recently to function from Thursday till January 1, on account of Christmas celebrations.
Justice B.K. Somashekara, Chairman of the Commission, who heard arguments by both parties here on Wednesday, allowed for an interim arrangement on four conditions. They are that those who run the prayer halls should not indulge in illegal activities and should not carry out any other activities except prayer sessions. They will be subject to scrutiny or inspection by the district administration. The other two conditions are that those who run the prayer halls should not demean the deities of other religions and not hurt the religious sentiments of people belonging to other faiths. The Commission also said that this step was just an “interim arrangement” and that the district administration could revoke the order or extend it depending on the circumstances and based on the law and order situation.
It further said the Davangere City Corporation or the district administration could take appropriate action against the two prayer halls based on certain legal factors, after January 1, if need be.
Earlier, the Commissioner of the Davangere City Corporation, Gurulingappa, told the Commission that as the two prayer halls had failed to produce the relevant documents to the Corporation, the latter was forced to seize them.
Justice Somashekara also visited the church at Bada village in the district, which was attacked a few months ago.
Justice Somashekara also asked all those people who had written petitions to the Commission to come to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday to have their statements recorded. He told them that the Commission would give them transport allowance and dearness allowance as well as legal guidance if required.
Later, at around 8 p.m., Justice Somashekara was gheraoed by a huge mob at the Inspection Bungalow.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Wed, 17/12/2008 - 9:57pm Christians have a bleak christmas in Orissa-Orissa round up
1-Witnesses fail to turn up despite notices
PHULBANI, Dec 16: Five people who were expected to depose before the Justice (retired) Basudev Panigrahi Commission of enquiry to the Kandhmal violence of December 2007, at Balliguda yesterday did not turn up."Notices had been sent to the five but not one of them appeared yesterday," said a official attached to the commission. Today five others deposed as against the notices issued to 22 people of Balliguda area. In fact four of those who are to depose before the commission are present in jail for riot-related cases. The commission will also conduct its hearing at Phulbani for second time on 18 and 19 December and notices have been issued to eight people.Earlier 30 deponents, all from minority community, were ordered to appear before the commission in its camp court at Cuttack, but some of them had prayed that they be heard in Kandhamal district.As many as 362 affidavits were received by the commission in connection to the communal violence of Kandhmal in 2007 said reliable sources. It may be noted that the Justice Panigrahi Commission is probing into the violence of December 2007.
2-Bhubaneswar, Dec 17 - A court in Orissa Wednesday granted bail to a journalist who was arrested by the police Dec 7 for writing an allegedly inflammatory book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.Lenin Kumar, editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, was arrested for his book “Dharma Nare Kandhamalare Raktara Banya” (Flood of blood in Kandhamal in the name of religion) that blames Hindu groups for the violence.Police had termed Kumar’s book as provocative and aimed at disturbing communal harmony. Two others were also arrested for helping him print and circulate the book.“J.P. Das the district and session judge at Bhubaneswar granted Lenin and other two bail on a surety bond of Rs.20,000 with some conditions,” one of Lenin’s lawyers Biswapriya Kanungo told .Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23While police blamed Maoists for the killings, some Hindu organisations held Christians responsible for the crime and launched attacks on the community.At least 100 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs. About 18,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps in the district.Rights activists, journalists and writers have been demanding Kumar’s release. Last week, about 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the official residence of the Orissa governor here.The Orissa Human Rights Commission Tuesday sought a report within two weeks from the state government on the arrest of Lenin after his wife Rumita Kundu submitted a petition describing the arrest as illegal and an instance of blatant human rights violation.
3-ORISSA: Tensions are running high in Orissa's strife-torn Kandhamal district with radical Hindu groups preparing for a showdown and Christians fearing a fresh wave of attacks on Christmas.The Hindu organisations, which had given the state government a Dec 15 deadline to arrest all those involved in planning and executing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23, have said the administration had failed to act on their demand and they would go ahead with a statewide shutdown on Dec 25, Christmas day. Though police have arrested seven people for their alleged involvement in the murder that sparked widespread sectarian violence in the district, Hindu leaders have said police action was not enough. The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti (SLSSS), a body affiliated to the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has called the shutdown, described the arrests as an eyewash. "The state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators," SLSSS president Ratnakar Chaini said. While Maoist extremists have claimed responsibility for the murder of the Hindu leader, the Hindu groups have maintained that Christians were unhappy with the swami's campaign against religious conversions. Christians have denied they were in the business of conversions. Christians fled their homes and hundreds took shelter as radical Hindu groups attacked them. In the violence that went on for more than a month in this eastern Indian coastal state, at least 36 people were killed.Hindu Jagaran Samukhya president Ashok Sahu said his organisation was not happy that only seven of the 18 people who had conspired and perpetrated the killings were arrested. "I will not say the arrests were just eyewash. But there are some big fish involved in the murder and are yet to be caught," Sahu told IANS, adding that the administration was not making attempts to nab them.He, however, stressed that the shutdown would be peaceful and all steps were being taken to ensure that there would be no violence. "We have told all our people not to resort to any kind of violence. But we are apprehensive that 'Christian militants' may create trouble during the shutdown," he said in a veiled reference to Maoists who have threatened to kill more Hindu leaders. Asked if he was referring to Maoists, Sahu said: "Naxals have no religion. I am referring to those militants who killed swamiji. They are Christians and have taken up arms against Hindus." Notwithstanding the assurances of the peaceful shutdown, the minority Christians in the district, about 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, are worried - more so, as the chosen day is Christmas. Rajib Prasad Naik, who stays in a relief camp in Rudangia - a riot-hit village some 40 km away from district headquarters Phulbani, said they had information about some local Hindus planning fresh attacks on their camp. "We have information that some Hindu activists are collecting money to buy weapons to be used against us during Christmas bandh (shutdown)," Naik, who lost two of his relatives during the riots, told . "We have informed police and the district collector about this and hope the administration will take some steps. "Though paramilitary forces are guarding our camp, we are not sleeping at night in order to keep a vigil against any sudden attack," he said, hoping that more forces would be deployed in his village soon. Christian leaders also feared fresh violence during Christmas but hoped that the state government would take measures to protect the traumatised Christian community in the district. "We don't know what will happen this Christmas. The government has promised that they will take all measures to prevent any untoward incident this time around and I believe the administration will live up to its promise,""We will not say that I fear a fresh wave of violence against our community, I just hope this Christmas should go peacefully,"Forty-five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies are currently deployed in the district and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pledged that his government would not allow the shutdown on Chritsmas.