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Chennath responded that much of Singh’s testimony is ambiguous and based on outdated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.”