Orissa Government is trying to evade responsibility says Archbishop

(September 19, 2009) “Instead of showing some compassion and solidarity with the suffering, the officials now claim their innocence and ignorance, while nearly 50,000 Christians were displaced from Kandhamal,” said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, of Cuttack-Bhubanewsar. He said that he would not accept the statements made by officials before the inquiry commission conducted by Justice Mohapatra. Mr. Gangadhar Singh, district collector in Kandhamal in his testimony said that conversions took place during his tenure in violation of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act. In the same period he saw widespread encroachment on government land, and rising tensions between Tribals and Dalits. Mgr Chennath responded that much of Singh’s testimony is ambiguous and based on outdated information. The victims of violence are in fact still living in insecurity, often far from home, under continuous threats, enduring the boycott of their Hindu neighbours. The officials on the other hand are working with the Sangh Parivar to drive out the vulnerable Christian minority from Kandhamal, he said. Police Inspector General Arun Sarang said that the authorities had no knowledge about Maoist threats against the Swamiji. But he added that it is absolutely clear that the assassination was the work of the CPI (Maoist) cadres. “The police are giving confusing statements before the commission,” Fr Ajay Kumar Singh said. They are “trying to shift the blame to local people, even claiming that they had no information about the threats and the consequence.”