Kandhamal: the Real Challenges

Kandhamal: the Real Challenges

Kandhamal: the Real Challenges

R L Francis

6 Oct 2010



The vice chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Dr
H.T. Sangliana giving a clean chit to the Orissa government on the
Kandhamal violence by praising the steps taken to bring normalcy to
Phulbani district has given a blow to the Christian organisations’
allegations against the regime. These organisations had alleged that
several thousands of victims were yet to be rehabilitated in the
effected areas of Kandhamal.



After visiting the violence hit areas, Sangliana said the victims have
returned home and those who have not returned to Kandhamal are
actually working in neighbouring states. The NCM vice chairman thus
discounted all allegations by the Church against the Naveen Patnaik
government of not taking care of Kandhamal victims.



Sangliana visited Kandhamal after more than 50 NGOs related to the
Church organised a public hearing titled National Tribunal on
Kandhamal, from 22 to 24 Aug. 2010, at New Delhi. The sponsors of this
event included the Catholic Archbishop of Cuttack Rev. Cheenath; John
Dayal of the All Indian Christian Council & All India Catholic Union;
and Sahmat, a Communist Party of India front organization headed by
Mala Hashmi.



Those participating in the so-called public hearing included film
producer Mahesh Bhatt, National Advisory Council member Harsh Mandar,
Syed Hamid, Ruth Manorama, Milan Kothari, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, and
some other leading personalities. Retired Chief Justice of the High
Court A.P Shah chaired the Tribunal hearing.



On the other hand, away from the media glare, some non-Christian
tribals stood at Jantar Mantar to express their grief. It will be a
distant hope that their voices will be allowed the reach accorded to
the National Tribunal on Kandhamal.



The Church has always indulged in the conversion of poor scheduled
castes and tribals. Some fanatics burnt foreign missionary Graham
Stains and his two sons in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa for indulging
in conversions. After a decade, there were riots in Kandhamal.



After the killing of Swami Laxmanananda on 23 Aug. 2008, the rift
between local Christians and non-Christians widened. In the subsequent
riots, more than 40 people were killed and thousands of homes torched;
hundreds of places of worship were burnt. Thousands had to take
shelter in relief camps and many are still living in camps due to
fear. As always happens, politics started after the Kandhamal riots
still continues. After the murder of Swami Laxmanananda and the
communal riots, attempts should have been made to restore peace and
normalcy in the violence-hit area. That never happened. On the
contrary, attempts have been made to internationalise the issue by
Church organisations.



The Western world became serious about Kandhamal when Pope Benedict
XVI accused the Indian government of failure to protect Christians.
Before this, the Pope had called the Indian ambassador to the Vatican
and berated him about the implementation of anti-conversion laws in
some Indian states. The Italian government also expressed displeasure
about the Kandhamal riots. The USCIRF demanded a probe in the matter,
but New Delhi has refused the same.



It is the sad fate of Indian Christians that missionaries try to take
mileage out of incidents of attacks on Muslims. They do not
participate in talks and continue their activities due to the support
of European countries. Even Mahatma Gandhi had criticised conversion
and many nationalists had supported him as the main aim of conversion
was to produce British Raj-acolytes. Even today, Churches are thriving
on foreign donations; they are accountable to US and European
organisations.



The impact and penetration of the Church in these European countries
can be gauged from the fact that last year a European Union delegation
visited Kandhamal. It received an unprecedented welcome. But the
Central Government-constituted delegation led by Sharad Pawar did not
receive a welcome.



Even after independence, missionaries have not become self-sufficient.
Church officials are accountable to the Catholic Pope, with the Bishop
as main link with the Pope and Vatican. Bishops are appointed by the
Pope. Protestants are dependent on the European Union for grants, and
that is why for every problem they look towards Europe. They are
skeptical of Indian laws and legal system, an attitude which has
alienated them from the national mainstream. Yet there are many
facilities in India which they avail of, which are not even available
in European countries, such as special rights to run schools and get
government grants, etc.



In the current scenario, the larger question is: what should be the
approach of the Church and the Christians? They rely more on the
unethical and illegal pressure imposed by European countries on India
to get their voices heard. An Indian ambassador told me about a
conference organised by Indian Christians settled in America; almost
all speakers presented a scary picture about India to convey that it
is not worth living in. The ambassador told them they should not play
such a dirty game thousands of kilometres away from home; he said
Indian Christians were completely safe in India and nobody suspects
their patriotism. The government gives sensitive official portfolios
to Christian officials. This incident kept haunting me for a long
time.



It hurts that the Church leadership did not try to get to the roots of
the Kandhamal riots. A commission constituted by government pointed
out that conversion, fake caste-certificates and land controversies
were the chief reasons behind the riots. The Commission was of the
view that after conversion, the rift between Dalits and tribals
widened. It suggested that the government work fast to free Adivasi
lands and address the problem of fake caste-certificates. There is a
need to be alert regarding conversions. Conversion is not an issue in
Kandhamal only; it is a national issue. Though the report took a
holistic view of the problem, the Church rejected this view of the
Commission.



The Church needs a target to continue the work and found it in the RSS
which has been very vocal on the issue of conversion. In many places
RSS has directly confronted conversion, such as in Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. The Church has used its
influence to send a message at the international level. A fresh salvo
has been fired from Karnataka, where a former Christian judge,
Saldhana, has alleged that in 500 days there have been 1000 attacks on
Christians and has demanded the sack of the democratically elected
government. But a Christian organisation report says there are only 72
incidents of attack! While attacks on anybody are condemnable, the
message of love given by church on Sunday is being fast replaced by a
tirade of hate. The Church is trying to alienate its followers from
the mainstream.



We should move ahead after learning from Kandhamal, but this is not
happening. The Church is giving so many arguments to justify its
actions, but people are not convinced. Pockets in Uttar Pradesh have
become silent volcanoes. As per reports from the Terai region, foreign
missionaries and local church officials have stepped up their
activities. In many regions where there is no Christian population,
lands are being bought. In western UP, ABC church is converting poorer
Hindus in large numbers, though in government records they are still
listed as Hindus.



In Gurgaon, at Dhankot, Protestants are running a seminary in hundreds
of acres, called Dayadham. Here poor people from north India are
brought and given a 3-year-course on priesthood. This year I had an
opportunity to attend a convocation ceremony. Students were told to
work for the propagation of Christianity. They were instructed to
spread the ‘Message of God.’ Thus, for the sake of livelihood, poor
people accept the job of converting people. These groups of boys and
girls are called ‘Salvation Army.’ They get a monthly grant of US $
100. They are not aware that they have become puppets in the hands of
foreign missionaries. This has resulted in increased tensions in
certain areas. Last year Punjab boiled over a controversial poster of
Jesus Christ.



In Kandhamal, NCM vice chairman has already said that the displaced
people have been rehabilitated. As per reports from Kandhamal, the
rift between Christians and non-Christians is widening in the areas
situated near Gunsar forest. Instead of returning to their villages,
people living in relief camps have started settling there. The Orissa
government and church are helping them in this process. In a way, the
communal division is getting wider, making way for a new kind of
polarisation. This can be stopped only through a peace process by both
communities.



Christians should come out of their ostrich-like mentality and face
real life challenges. They should connect to the democratic process
and seek long term solutions in the Indian context. They should be
able to distinguish between religion and social responsibilities.
Today, the Church has messed up religion and social service. It is
alleged that the Church carries out social services and relief work
only where there is a possibility of conversion.



It is clear from the floods in Punjab, Haryana and western UP that the
Church did not carry out any flood relief operations despite the
widespread calamity. Ordinary Christians are baffled by the political
mix up by the Church. The Church should ponder why people are
skeptical even after so much of social service in the hinterland?



The author is president, Poor Christian Liberation Movement