European Union Cancels Orissa trip

(January 28, 2010) A European Union delegation’s visit to Orissa has been scrapped at the last minute after a dispute with the federal government over where the team could go. The delegation wanted to visit Orissa’s Kandhamal district, the epicentre of anti-Christian violence in 2008, but the government reportedly confined it to Bhubaneswar, the state capital. The delegation cancelled the four-day trip on January 27 evening, saying it was not worth visiting only the capital. John Dayal, a member of the National Integration Council and secretary general of the All India Christian Council, expressed his surprise at the government’s action. The federal and Orissa state governments have repeatedly asserted that there is “total peace” in Kandhamal and proper legal processes are being carried out, Dayal says. “If this indeed be so, what then is there to hide from the view of the world?” he asked. “The real culprits of the anti-Christian pogrom have got away,” Dayal said. The visit would have helped the team assess the progress of relief and rehabilitation for the victims as well as the effectiveness of the fast track courts set up to try cases against those accused of violence against Christians. The 10-member diplomatic team was to have been led by Ramon Moreno, deputy chief of mission in the Spanish embassy in New Delhi. The mission was only approved after more than a year of negotiations with the federal government. The team was scheduled to meet Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar on January 28. Dhirendra Panda, a human right activist in Orissa, criticized the government’s actions. The European Union was vocal in its concern about the riots from the moment they broke out on August 24, 2008.