Orissa Tense: Christians Blamed for Swami’s Murder
The communally sensitive Kandhamal district in Orissa remains tense after Hindu groups
have blamed Christians for killing an 80-year-old Hindu leader and his four followers
on Saturday night. A group of some 30 armed and masked men attacked Vishwa Hindu
Parishad Leader Swami Laxmanananda Sarswati’s Ashram. They indiscriminately shot at
the gathering on the eve of Krishna Jayanti, the birthday of Krishna, killing the
aged leader and his four followers. A Maoist group named, the People’s Liberation
Revolutionary Group, has claimed responsibility for the killings and said they killed
the Swami because he mixed “religion with politics…” But Hindu leaders say Christian
groups are behind the attack in the district, which witnessed fierce Hindu violence
on Christians last December. Rejecting the police claim that the incident was the
handiwork of Maoists, BJP state leader Suresh Pujari said Laxmanananda had no enmity
with red rebels and the reason behind the killing should be thoroughly probed. Swamiji
was opposed to religious conversion taking place in various parts of Orissa and has
been spearheading a campaign against Christian missioners in the state for decades.
He also led a re-conversion movement, which aimed to bring back Hindus who joined
Christianity. Catholics priests of the area are moving away to safer places, a Jesuit
priest in the area told the Indian Catholic News Service. He said fanatic mobs in
the area have already began their attack on Church institutions. Janavikas Kendra
in Kanjamandi, a catholic social welfare centre, had to face an attack on Sunday.
They burned down the vehicles used by the officials of the Janavikas Centre. The Christians
in the area are said to be truly frightened and living in fear.