Orissa victims welcome court order

(Sept.01, 2011) Church people and activists in Orissa, have expressed joy at a supreme court directive ordering a report on government efforts to compensate and rehabilitate victims of anti-Christian violence in the eastern Indian state. “We welcome the court order, as it could help restore things to what they were before the violence began,” Bipra Charan Nayak, convener of the Survivors Association of Kandhamal Violence, said on Wednesday. Acting on a petition by retired Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, the apex court on Monday, ordered the National Human Rights Commission– NHRC,to draw up a status report on compensation and rehabilitation efforts within six weeks. The court also criticized the Orissa government for its poor handling of relief and rehabilitation efforts. Archbishop Cheenath had alleged that the process, by which the government chose who were qualified for assistance was seriously flawed. He also said the government had failed to compensate victims enough to match their pre-violence status.
Fr. Manoj Kumar Nayak, who directs the archdiocese’s social service center, said the Church has petitioned the government several times about property destroyed in the violence, but has yet to receive any compensation. “We hope the NHRC will look into our case, as well as all the other Kandhamal victims,” he said.