Catholic leaders say Orissa convictions strengthen Christians

(Sept.09,2009): Catholic leaders in eastern India's Orissa State say that the convictions of six people for offenses committed during last year's anti-Christian violence, have convinced Christians that justice is within their reach. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, whose archdiocese includes Kandhamal, the district where much of the violence occurred told the Asian News Agency UCA News, that the Sept. 7 convictions on charges of riot and arson have strengthened our people's morale. Father Ajay Singh, a social activist working among victims of the violence, agreed that the court verdicts emboldened Christians to pursue court action against their attackers. "However, they have lots more challenges to face," the priest told UCA News.
Christian lawyers and social workers say witnesses have become uncooperative in Court, following threats to their lives. They report that gunmen comb villages for people named as witnesses in cases related to the anti-Christian violence. The state police have registered 831 cases based on the violence. A church official told UCA News that police have filed charges in only 310 cases, but are investigating the remainder.
The attacks in Orissa began Aug. 24, 2008, a day after Maoists gunned down a Hindu religious leader in Kandhamal. Hindu radicals blamed Christians for the murder and led rampaging mobs that destroyed houses, churches and convents, and killed people who refused to convert to Hinduism.