Kandhamal Day: Solidarity Protest in Bangalore
NO MORE KANDHAMALs – STOP ALL COMMUNAL VIOLENCE
KANDHAMAL DAY
Protest in solidarity
August 25th 5 pm Town Hall Bangalore
Peoples’ Solidarity Concerns
Exactly two years ago, one of the worst communal genocide attempts on the Christian community took place in one of the poorest districts of India, Kandhamal of Orissa, this gruesome incident has shaken the conscience of many in this country. Over 100 people including women, disabled, children, Adivasis and Daliths were killed . Three women were gang raped and many were injured. 295 churches were destroyed. Schools, colleges and even medical institutions were not spared. Even now, thousands of people cannot go back to their villages. Many fear struck victims of Kandhamal, are still living in tents even after 2 years of violence. When all the premises of Indian Constitution are destroyed by a group of Sangh Parivar followers, it is a shame that the administration stood as either silent spectators or indirectly supporting the genocide attempt. The fact that th majority of the population of Kandhamal are Adivasis and Daliths has only aggravated the deliberate criminal negligence and connivance of the administration. The large scale displacement of Kandhamal victims in the last two years, hellish life in refugee camps and the breakdown of many family units under the pressure of poverty have
affected the psychological status of this district. Many are still living with fear and trauma. Minor and adolescent girls
are being trafficked under the guise of security and livelihood. Many children have dropped out of schools.
Widespread ostracisation of the Christians in Kandhamal has affected the employment of the adults and education of
their children. A meager compensation given by the Government was not even enough to meet the immediate medical
needs for many.
The survivors of Kandhamal violence are still under threat and over 15,000 people cannot go to their own
villages unless they convert to Hinduism. Those Adivasi and Dalith Christians who were forcefully converted to
Hinduism have all gone back to Christianity. Out of 3,300 complaints filed by the victims in the local police stations,
only 831 have been registered as FIR’s. Majority of the registered cases have not been investigated. Whatever shoddy
investigation that has taken place has only reduced the scope for justice. The bias has facilitated the criminals to get
acquitted one by one. Those who are acquitted feel more powerful today in front of the minorities.
The communal fascists did not stop at Kandhamal alone. The attacks on the Christians spread to over 10 states
in India, breaking down the fundamentals of democracy and spiritual harmony. Karnataka state recorded the highest
number of anti Christian attacks in India last year and it is keeping pace this year Unprovoked violence against
fellow citizens in the name of religion is pernicious and it must stop forthwith The BJP regime in Karnataka is
further communalising the situation to consolidate its casteist and communal constituency Its attempt to bulldoze
the opinion of the people in relation to the Beef ban and the forced Cow Slaughter Bill is highly discriminatory It
communal agenda is to target the food habits of the most vulnerable and the weak such as the Daliths the Muslims
and the Christians Beef is a valuable source of protein to the worldwide and in India it is the cheapest form of meat
consumed by the Daliths and the minorities who are predominantly undernourished
The National Solidarity Forum, a coalition of over 55 organisations from different parts of the country
strongly condemn the attacks on all religious minorities and appeal to all democratic forces to strongly unite and fight
against the spread of communal fascism. We appeal to all peace loving people in the country to support the cause for
justice in Kandhamal. The National Solidarity Forum demands:
* Immediate prosecution of the police officials who failed to register FIR’s and allowed criminals to
escape justice. * Prosecution of Policemen who supported the communal violence in Kandhamal.
* Prosecution of all those who are responsible for forcible conversio9ns to Hinduism under the
provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) * Transfer investigation to Central Bureau of
Investigation/SIT * Full compensation for houses destroyed in mass arson. * Compensation for victims
of gender violence * Compensation for loss of livelihood for two years * Full compensation to all
widows/next of kin of those who died in the riots * Resettlement with security in home villages full land
rights * Employment of men and women victims * Trauma counseling for children, women and men
who are still affected communal violence * Facilitation of children, especially girls whose education is
broken and those whose certificates are burnt * Facilitation of a large number of survivors whose
documents of land and properties are destroyed * Implementation of a basic witness protection scheme
and provision of assistance and remuneration to victims in order to ensure their testimony inn court
* Repeal the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967, which fuels prejudicial attitudes towards religious
minorities * Establishment of a State Commission for Minorities, in the model of its national
counterpart * Prosecution of District, state and administrative officials for their dereliction of duty
during violence and rehabilitation
Related posts:
- STATE COMPLICITY AND IMPUNITY RULE AS JUSTICE IS DENIED VICTIMS OF KANDHAMAL
- Observe 25 August as ‘Kandhamal Day’!
- Appeal to Strengthen the Protest in Delhi
Brilliant campaign on this issue! My brothers and sisters, you are so well endowed with the ability to tell them how it is and what should be done – please keep doing this as your lives depend on it. I am so heart-stricken when I hear of how much seemingly unnecessary hurt you have gone through and when I read some of the horrific headlines I cannot bear to go any further to read the details. I feel like an utter coward when I think of what it is that you are doing and what it is that I am not doing but could be if there were ever such an opportunity to do it well. Sometimes, I think I should be doing much more and feel as though I am too much of an arse-sitting activist but I hope to our Creator that I can successfully endeavour to do what I can when the time comes for me to act fully in a way that will mean something tangible is brought about for the betterment of our world. It must be remembered, that every act of solidarity and love is always for the best and none is insignificant when it comes to securing our Hope for the future.
The fact is – the media has been downplaying the overt connection between what happened in this area in 2007-2008 with all the fascist incited hatred, and the sequestering by mining companies of territories traditionally belonging to the dispossessed and culturally disenfranchised communities of this area. It is everso important for all indigenous communities and those in solidarity with them to take a decisive stand against the government’s apathy on this issue. The fact is, it is an utter disgrace that the Indian national government signed the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in (of all times!!) 2007!!!! – and what happened to their putting into practice, their “sworn committment” to preserving and upholding the rights and concerns of the indigenous communities in Orissa and the surrounding districts???? How could they then allow full-on, out-right, actively unashamed repression and overt denial of the rights by indigenous communities to live and practice culture the way it has been done by these communities for generations???? They knew what was going on day in, day out, they knew what those Bajrang Dal Hindutvas were up to – what did the govt do to stop the violence? Next to nothing!!! What a load of hypocritical garbage the government is displaying before the whole world on this issue! This is utter disgrace on the part of both the national and state governments because for one thing, the state government is supposed to honour any international treaty-signing or declaration endorsed by the national govt?? So why were they so reluctant to enforce the endorsement of the UN Declaration? I am totally heart-broken that the world stands by idle whilst such racist atrocities are committed against the traditional owners of that place for no other reason than that of these people refusing to bow down to the wishes of fascists who want to force them to become assimilated into mainstream Hindu culture. I have nothing against the mainstream Hindus by the way and there are many of them who are actually against what those ultra-rightists were doing – I mean, what would Mahatma Gandhi think?? I am sure, he’d find the whole thing as detestable as the forces of repression he was up against himself.