Kandhamal: Under Whose Control ?
By Dhirendra Panda
18 September, 2008
Countercurrents.org
On 11th September 08 the Orissa government informed the Supreme Court that the law and order situation in Kandhamal had "improved considerably" and was now under control. In this regards, a detailed affidavit was submitted by the Orissa Home Secretary T.K. Mishra on behalf of the government, in response to a writ petition filed by Raphael Cheenath, the Cuttack Achbishop. The State Government's Counsel also informed the Apex Court Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam, that all steps taken by the administration to maintain law had been taken. So far, the government has formed 354 peace committees to help restore harmony. Some 421 criminal cases have been instituted against the rioters and 629 persons involved in the violence have been booked. In the petition, the government also informed the Supreme Court that VHP leader Praveen Togadia's proposed kalash yatra was also barred from entering the district. It is yet to be informed of who the people in the peace committees are and how far they have earned the 'real' confidence of the villagers belonging to the minority community.
The Government and Sangha Parivar are trying to project the entire incident as a reflection of the age-old conflicts in between Adivasis and Dalits and situation under control. This is further palpable from the Chief Secretary's discussion with USA Consul General Ms Beth A Payne on 11th September. The Officer informed to Ms Payne, who has come to meet the Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik and others for some commercial purposes at the Orissa Secretariat, - that it was not a communal violence against Christians, rather group clashes in between adivasis and dalits and now it is under control.
The question arises - what does 'situation is under control' mean, under whose control is it? The information as gathered from the field, it is under the control of the VHP, Bajrang Dal and their hooligans backed by BJP leaders. One civil society fact finding team returned today to Bhubaneswar after visiting the area. As we got from them through informal talks (they will present their official report after 1 or 2 days), they had to take permission from the district authority before entering into villages. The situation is unthinkably scaring and suspicious. Everybody is awfully waiting under uncertainty – as if, it may bring another big trouble next day. Even NGOs and reporters are under constant fear of being threatened.
The already ravished, terrorized, emotionally broken dalits and adivasis are being converted from Christianity to Hinduism in a well-planned manner. A villager (Christian) from Baliguda block called and informed today that they have been given a ultimatum by VHP people that they have to keep themselves prepared with two cocoanuts, non-boiled rice (arua chaula) and other items for attending re-conversion (sanskar) ceremony on 15th September 2008. In case they failed to do so, what will happen – only time can tell? 'In the meantime more than 1000 families have been reconverted within 15-days' according to a reporter, who does not want to disclose his identity.
Countercurrents.org
On 11th September 08 the Orissa government informed the Supreme Court that the law and order situation in Kandhamal had "improved considerably" and was now under control. In this regards, a detailed affidavit was submitted by the Orissa Home Secretary T.K. Mishra on behalf of the government, in response to a writ petition filed by Raphael Cheenath, the Cuttack Achbishop. The State Government's Counsel also informed the Apex Court Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam, that all steps taken by the administration to maintain law had been taken. So far, the government has formed 354 peace committees to help restore harmony. Some 421 criminal cases have been instituted against the rioters and 629 persons involved in the violence have been booked. In the petition, the government also informed the Supreme Court that VHP leader Praveen Togadia's proposed kalash yatra was also barred from entering the district. It is yet to be informed of who the people in the peace committees are and how far they have earned the 'real' confidence of the villagers belonging to the minority community.
The Government and Sangha Parivar are trying to project the entire incident as a reflection of the age-old conflicts in between Adivasis and Dalits and situation under control. This is further palpable from the Chief Secretary's discussion with USA Consul General Ms Beth A Payne on 11th September. The Officer informed to Ms Payne, who has come to meet the Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik and others for some commercial purposes at the Orissa Secretariat, - that it was not a communal violence against Christians, rather group clashes in between adivasis and dalits and now it is under control.
The question arises - what does 'situation is under control' mean, under whose control is it? The information as gathered from the field, it is under the control of the VHP, Bajrang Dal and their hooligans backed by BJP leaders. One civil society fact finding team returned today to Bhubaneswar after visiting the area. As we got from them through informal talks (they will present their official report after 1 or 2 days), they had to take permission from the district authority before entering into villages. The situation is unthinkably scaring and suspicious. Everybody is awfully waiting under uncertainty – as if, it may bring another big trouble next day. Even NGOs and reporters are under constant fear of being threatened.
The already ravished, terrorized, emotionally broken dalits and adivasis are being converted from Christianity to Hinduism in a well-planned manner. A villager (Christian) from Baliguda block called and informed today that they have been given a ultimatum by VHP people that they have to keep themselves prepared with two cocoanuts, non-boiled rice (arua chaula) and other items for attending re-conversion (sanskar) ceremony on 15th September 2008. In case they failed to do so, what will happen – only time can tell? 'In the meantime more than 1000 families have been reconverted within 15-days' according to a reporter, who does not want to disclose his identity.
A couple of days back, the leaders of VHP and RSS have announced to wipe out Christians from Kandhamal District shortly. This was reiterated by Sangha leaders on 11th September before press. .....> read it all here
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