At least 500 Christians killed in Orissa, government sources say

(Nov.05,2008):- At least 500 Christians were killed in the anti-Christian violence in India’s eastern State of Orissa, according to a representative of the local government. He said he personally authorised the cremation of at least 200 bodies. The representative, on condition of anonymity, reported these facts and figures to a team sent by the Communist Party of India (CPL-ML) on a fact finding visit to Kandhamal district. According to the state government, the official death toll now stands at 31.
The CPI-ML team visited destroyed villages and refugee camps on 15-16 October, almost two months after the start of the massacre. Here, team members met and interviewed magistrates and police officers. Their report signed by J.P.Minz was published in the November issue of the Liberation magazine. In addition to the real number of dead, the report describes the gap between government’s statements about the refugee camps and the real situation. In the government version of the facts, some 12,641 people, who fled destruction, live in 15 refugee camps where they are well-fed, have access to doctors, medicines and schooling for the children.
The team visited the camps in Phulbani, Tikabali and Rakiya, where they found that food rations were inadequate, medicines non-existent and pregnant women were left without any medical care. They said terror reigns among Christians, who fear for their lives if they go back. Fundamentalist groups, who want the central government to pull back the police units it sent in, are organising themselves into armed groups, threatening anyone who refuses to convert to Hinduism. The CPI-ML inquiry said that the program had been in the works for some time, and it was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal. For this reason, it calls on the government to ban the two organisations