Tribal Christian houses demolished in Odisha

December 20, 2012: The authorities of Raikia in Kandhamal district of Odisha in India have demolished 12 houses of tribal Christians to widen a street. However, the tribals and activists allege that a wealthy landowner had put pressure on the district administration to take possession of the area.

“The need to widen the road is just an excuse to hide the hand of Piklu Sabat, a rich entrepreneur, who owns the land behind the demolished houses,” said Sandip Nayak, one of the affected Christians. Nayak alleged that in the past too Sabat had tried to buy homes by offering money to the families. He said that his mother was served a notice to vacate the house on Dec. 6 because it was on the land owned by the government. “But she and the other elders have always paid the rent on a regular basis for years,” he added.

The incident happened on Dec. 12 when a bulldozer demolished three mud houses and a brick house. Another eight houses were partially damaged. The administration had served the demolition notice on Dec. 6 to all the families. Niranjan Samal, a school inspector, tried to protest the administration’s move. He was arrested after which his house was demolished. The tribal alleged that none of the houses were too close to tthe village road. Some were as far as fifty feet away from the road. They also claimed that many buildings owned by non-tribal families on that land were not affected.

Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), said that by depriving the Christians of a roof, the district administration has created a new Bethlehem. “As Jesus was born in a manger, similarly these women and children will spend Christmas in the cold, in extreme poverty, abandoned by their own administration,” he added.