Ten years ago, the Christians of Kandhamal district in eastern India experienced the worst outbreak of violence in the country’s history. More than 90 people died and over 54,000 people were forced to flee their homes.
It was a tragedy that ripped a community apart. Your support enabled CSW to be there in Kandhamal, Odisha State, soon after it happened – and then to go back time and again, to support the community in their attempts to get justice and compensation.
It started early on 24 August 2008.
The previous day, the local figurehead of a radical Hindu nationalist group had been assassinated. Supporters of the Hindu fundamentalists blamed the Christian community for Mr Saraswati’s death – even though police had told media that local Maoists had taken responsibility for the killing.
By the morning of Sunday on 24 August, mobs were setting up roadblocks, shouting Hindu nationalist and anti-Christian slogans, openly blaming Christians for the killing of Mr Saraswati and calling for revenge. The atmosphere turned ugly, and the violence began. Local sources tell us that more than 90 people lost their lives in the following days. Around 5,600 houses were looted and burned, while an estimated 295 churches and other places of worship were destroyed. Ever since then, Christians around the world mark 25 August as Kandhamal Day.
History of hate
This horrific attack didn’t come out of nowhere. Christians in Kandhamal have been the target of hate campaigns by Hindu fundamentalists since the 1960s, when attacks on places of worship and Christian leaders were a regular occurrence. Even today, despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, Christians and Muslims are still attacked by militant Hindu nationalists. And under the current government violence against religious minorities has intensified – police often turn a blind eye to harassment and violence against religious minorities.
A leader and a lawyer inspired by love
Father Ajay Singh is a Catholic priest who comes from Odisha State himself, and witnessed the brutal violence meted out to his fellow Christians. He could not shake the memory of those who had lost their homes, their belongings or even their lives. And in the months and years that followed, he saw how their attempts to get compensation for what they’d lost, and action against those who’d attacked them, were foiled again and again by a legal system that simply ignored their plight.
“I saw a huge number of people from marginalised communities who were struggling for their survival. Then I thought maybe, in order to help them, we need to get into social action...”
Father Ajay realised that what this community needed was someone who would speak up for them. He has since become one of the most outspoken voices calling for justice for Kandhamal’s Christians, and we’ve been working with him in his fight.
Committed for the long haul
The last ten years have seen our staff return to Kandhamal time and again, to encourage the victims, pray with them, and be briefed on their situation.
The generosity of supporters like you has made it possible for us to build relationships and trust with key stakeholders, and report back to you on everyone who was affected by the violence. We’re committed to seeing justice done, even when the road to justice looks impossible.
“Callous and discriminatory”
Although over 3,300 complaints were made to the police, only 727 cases went to trial, and almost 90% of the accused were acquitted. Meanwhile thousands of Kandhamal Christians have moved to other parts of India, fearing further attacks. In 2016, eight years after the violence, the Supreme Court directed the Odisha State Government to re-open 315 cases: these were all instances in which reports were made to the police but were not followed through, or did not result in prosecution of the offenders. As John Dayal, a civil rights activist and writer, said, “Right from the day the violence erupted, the administration has been callous and discriminatory on matters of compensation to the victims.”
Victory!
In 2016 the Supreme Court ordered further compensation, and finally, in May 2018, the lawyers acting on behalf of 14 of the victims were informed that the compensation – totalling about £1.7m – will be disbursed. We’re really delighted by this result, and it means so much to the victims who are able to move on with their lives and for their lawyers, who have patiently and skilfully worked on the matter. Your prayers over the years have played an important part in this breakthrough. Thank you so much for your support and prayers! However, this is far from the whole story. “There are many victims of Kandhamal who are yet to receive adequate compensation and it is disappointing to see that the perpetrators of the carnage are still roaming freely,” said A.C. Michael of ADF India, a religious freedom organisation."