India update 9-26-08

Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America
September 25, 2008
Press Release
The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) held a very successful Prayer Vigil today outside the White House to grieve the dead Christians and to highlight the continuing violence against Christians in India. The event was organized as a combined effort of various non-profit advocacy and human rights organizations in the US. Large number of people turned out for the Prayer Vigil in spite of unfriendly weather.
The Vigil observed a minute of silence in prayer for the victims of religious violence all across India. Leaders who spoke at the rally expressed FIACONA¢s full support for the Civil Nuclear Agreement with India. Many of them while appreciating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his personal views on the fundamental rights of Indian citizens, expressed their total and strong dissatisfaction over his government, especially the way the Home Ministry of India is handling this crisis.
The Federation declared that it holds the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of India responsible for any lives lost and damage caused to the churches and properties due to their inefficiency in stopping this violence.
FIACONA demands that the Central Government should rehabilitate the victims, pay five lakh compensation for the dead and three lakh for property damage directly in supervision by a central government agency and not by the state government. FIACONA also demands that the President of India must remove the Orissa State Government from power for its repeated failure of gross constitutional violations. FIACONA demands the indictment of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for passive approval of the killings, rape and destruction of the churches and properties of Christians.
FIACONA demands the Prime Minister impose an immediate ban on radical fundamentalist groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrangdal and their parent ideological group the Rashtriya Swyamasevak Sangh (RSS).
FIACONA also demands an immediate inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the death of Swami and the violence that followed in Orissa instead of the state appointed judiciary inquiry.
The rally was supported and coordinated by organizations including Jubilee campaign, Christian Solidarity International and all Christian church organizations.
For the favor of publication
Rev. Bernard Malik
302-354-5452
www.fiacona.org
Fri, 26/09/2008 - 9:25am Bajrang Dal involved in Karnataka communal violence: Home Ministry- PTI News
New Delhi, Sept 25 (PTI) Bajrang Dal elements were allegedly involved in communal violence in Karnataka and the state government must apply stringent laws against those who were involved in it, the Union Home Ministry said here today.There was a "sense of uneasiness" in Karnataka and Christian community was "visibly upset and unhappy" over the recent communal violence there, Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry M L Kumawat said here.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Fri, 26/09/2008 - 9:21am Centre warns Orissa again
The Centre is understood to have issued an advisory to the Orissa Government under Article 355 of Constitution today asking it to control apparent lawlessness in the State. The Advisory issued by Union Home Secretary Mr. Madhukar Gupta did not mention Article 355 but gave instructions on steps to be taken to bring the situation under control.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Fri, 26/09/2008 - 9:21am Statue of St. Mary damaged in Kanyakumari
NAGERCOIL: A statue of Virgin Mary was found damaged on St. Joseph’s Church campus at Karavilai near Rajakkamangalam in Kanyakumari district on Thursday. A glass case in which the statue was kept was also found damaged.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Fri, 26/09/2008 - 9:20am Attack continues in Kandhamal
About 210 houses torched, 15 Churches destroyed, 2 deaths, one seriously injured and bombs were used to attack Christian villages.Two hacked to death and bombs were used to attack Christians. Houses and Churches were either torched or damaged in various parts of the district. Situation in Kandhamal district to turn for the worse today.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Fri, 26/09/2008 - 9:11am Prayer houses damaged, houses burnt in Kandhamal- The Hindu
Prafulla Das, The HinduPHULBANI (Orissa): Attacks on members of the Christian community and protests against police action continued in the riot-hit Kandhamal district of Orissa for the third day on Thursday.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Thu, 25/09/2008 - 7:35pm Maoist in Orissa warns Sangh Parivar
Express News Services, Bhubaneswar (24th September’08)Renewing its warning to members of the saffron brigade, the state organization committee of CPI (Maoist) has trained its guns on at least 14 persons accusing them of targeting the minorities in the volatile Khandamal district.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Govt deploys more police after Orissa religious clashes
Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:21am IST

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By Jatindra Dash
BHUBANESWAR (Reuters) - The government deployed hundreds more central police to Orissa on Friday after one person was killed and several injured in fresh clashes between Hindus and Christians triggered by religious conversions.
More than 700 federal police are being sent to Orissa after the death in rural Kandhamal district following clashes between Christians and Hindus on Thursday. Several houses were also set on fire.
The violence came after a string of attacks on Christians in three Indian states that has left at least 20 people dead and dozens of churches damaged in the last month. Christians have responded with some violence in Orissa.
More than 3,000 central police have already been deployed in the region. Violence first erupted in Orissa after the killing of a Hindu leader linked to the main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and four others last month.
"We have moved seven more companies of paramilitary forces to the troubled areas," Orissa's inspector general of police in charge of law and order, Pradeep Kapur, said.
The attacks on Christians in India have been condemned by Pope Benedict and Roman Catholic bishops have urged the European Union to treat persecution of Christians as a humanitarian emergency.
But violence has continued, especially in Kandhamal where thousands of Christians now live in government camps because their homes are destroyed or they are too fearful to return.
Religious clashes have also been reported in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
India does not have a long history of attacks on minority Christians, but intolerance has risen in the past two decades with a revival of Hindu nationalism.
Many Hindu nationalists say they are determined to fight Christian missionaries they accuse of converting poor Indians. Christians say lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape discrimination.
In Karnataka, at least 20 churches have been burnt by Hindu mobs in the past two weeks.
Hindu nationalists rule outright or share power in the three states where Christians have come under attack.