US delegation warns Orissa violence could flare up again

(March 18, 2010) A five-member delegation from the United States that recently visited eastern India’s Orissa state warned that violence could flare up again at any time in the state. “The peace we saw there is very shallow. Any small incident could cause the violence to erupt again,” warned John Prabhudoss, who led the delegation of the American Coalition, a network of some 30 Church and advocacy groups based in the United States. The Indian American spoke to UCANEWS on Tuesday, after concluding the delegation’s five-day visit to the eastern state to “assess the ground reality.” Other members of the group reported an “inadequate” justice system with intimidation of witnesses rife. The team visited several villages in Kandhamal district where seven weeks of anti-Christian violence which started on Aug. 24, 2008, left some 90 people dead and 50,000 others homeless.