Five Men sentenced to life imprisonment for anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal

(September 24, 2009) Five young men were awarded sentence to life imprisonment in Kandhamal, Orissa, being found guilty for the murder of Akbar Digal, a Baptist pastor and forced to pay a fine of 5 thousand rupees (around 120 dollars) for arson, looting and burning houses. Akbar Digal, 40 years old, was the pastor of the Protestant community in the village of Totomaha, part of the Gram Panchayat of Mandakia in the vicinity of Riakia. On the 26th of September 2008, during the attacks by the Hindu extremists he sought refuge in the fields whilst his wife with their five children escaped in the opposite direction. The attackers searched the pastor from house to house looting and burning them. Once they captured him they forced him to abandon Christianity and convert to Hinduism. When he refused they decapitated him and cut his body into pieces. Once the extremists left the village, his wife found his body burnt and in torn to pieces. The news of the sentence regarding the assassins renewed the hope in justice of the Christian community of Kandhamal. Jay Prakash, brother of Akbar says “we are pleased that the judges bought justice to the soul of our brother.” The sentence of the five coincides with the acquittal of other five in another case for arson and violence against Christian closed today in the court of Bhubaneswar. Up to date the two courts that are examining the cases related to the violence put in prison 19 persons and released 88. Mons. Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack- Bhubaneswar, was satisfied with the verdict. The prelate hopes that this does not hold back the witnesses, and they should testify to the truth in spite of the threats, and has asked for “strict investigations and protection of the witnesses”.