JESUS CARES

                                   ORISSA RYOTS – KANDHAMAL DISTRICT
                    FLAMES OF GRAHAM STAINS – STILL BURNING IN ORISSA

   We praise God for the Lord has been good to us over the years: the Lord has been blessing every effort for His glory; hundreds of people have been transformed and added to the Church by the effective Working of God among the Hill Tribes and Remote villages.
 

  About Orissa: Fast Facts
·      Population: 36.8 million
·      85% live in rural areas
·      48% live below the poverty line
·      35% of them are Tribes
·      Only 2.10% are Christians
  On 5th February 2008, at early morning we Started from Visakhapatnam and traveled to Raikia which is Kandamal district of Orissa State,it was nearly 500 kms from city.and contacted my friend and discussed about suffering Christians so we took one assistant and have visited personally to the village of Barakhama which is in Kandmal District and stayed one day and seen all pathetic situations there happened, nearly 319 Houses were destroyed and 7 Churches had burnt and 6 people were died. Then we have distributed Rice, Dall and Clothes to that village Pastors and suffering Christians. After that I have taken an intrew with one of the victims his name called Chandra Digal.

  How it all began?
  This incident was not accident. People say that they were sensing some thing major was going to happen. The tribal KUI SAMAJ people were planning for 2-3 months in advance to have a protest (bandh) on 24th December' 07. Which the district administration and police were well aware of. Still they did not have adequate security arrangement for that.  VHP (Viswa Hindu Parisht) people have gambled and exploited that opportunity. The leader of VHP, who is the master mind behind them and hate against the peace loving and loyal Christians of Kandhamal on Christmas eve just to disrupt the arrangements against Christian celebration in a Christian community. There was shuttle between the two groups of VHP and Christians. There, where Laxmanananda Saraswati was quite safe and sound. He came to Daringibadi and informed all the VHP network people in the district and state to start an attack against Christians. On 24th night itself VHP people started mobilizing their forces to different places and began attacking on the Christmas Day.  Many Churches were burnt and villages slave aged. Houses ransacked and put to fire. Christian were beaten and stoned. The property confiscated. Many Christians fled in to Jungle for hiding.

  It was Well Planed and Organized Attack on minority Christian population in Kandmal District. First of all Telephone lines and electricity was disrupted. Cutting trees blocked roads. So that people should not escape and police would not come to rescue them. People were terrorized and attacked. As they fled from homes, the hooligans first looted their homes and after that they destroyed the houses and burnt them. Now the entire village Christians is hiding in jungles without food and shelter. It is bitter winter in the hilly terrain of kandhamal and Children, women and Aged People are suffering beyond description.

  What happened in Barakhama Village?
  On 24th around 12:30 in the after noon a group of Hindu youngsters of Barakhama had their lunch together at a place called Dandi Sahi, Dacoit of that Village. There they discussed about their plans of assaulting Christians in churches. They took a procession in the village and shouted anti Christian slogans on the Road, Christians were busy in the Christmas prayer. The attack began from the rear end of the village where a church gathered together by Rev. Naik. They went there and began to destroy the church building and put fire on that and came back to Village where another place church was in prayer, they danced and shouted in front of that Church and rushed in to. They started pelting stones towards the congregation. Christians were confused about what is going on and they were scattered. At that time a group of VHP and BAJARANGDAL activists came from Balliguda Village in motor Bikes. They were swinging swords, axes and other kind of weapons. They began to scolding and abusing the Christians and said we are going to kill you all and began to stab and kill people. Then they put fire in the Christian houses and pelted stones on them. And Christians were injured and bleeding. They could not help but see in front of their eyes the destruction of their house. They all ran in to near by jungles to hide but old men and women and children who could not flee, they were smashed and injured by thirsty VHP hooligans.

  One old man Govinda, who stumbled on the way and they hounded him to death. His dead body is still lying on the street of Barakhama in several days. One Gonda man who could just escape for life but had axe cuts on his head and then he died. One Kapitana, old man who could not run and fell prey to the killers. One Santana's wife and mentally retreated Daughter could not run and were cut by axe. At least 6-7 people died in the jungle due to head injury and excessive bleeding Unattended and Unaided. Chandra Digal's father Sidheswar was hit on the leg and was bleeding profusely limped and ran away. The miscreants have burnt houses and looted all their belongings and they have broken and set fire on the number of Motorbikes and the harvest paddy was stored in the threshing in the floor and they set fire on it.  They have lost every thing. Every house that belongs Christians was destroyed. The thatched houses were burned and the muddy houses were smashed and concrete houses were completely pulled out and asbestos houses put to fire and pleting stones. According to estimate nearly 319 houses in Barakhama and more than 3000 houses in Sudra, Salaguda, Kutikia, Landanga, Balliguda, Nuasahi and adjoining villages were destroyed. And all these were only Christian Houses.

  On 24th night some Christians approached the Police at Barakhama village for protection but they were denied and chased by the Police. The state government, local administration and police did not take any action to protect the innocent lives and property. All the roads were blocked and people were restrained from fleeing the village. State administration gave a wrong impression to the media and others that things are under control. But there were killings and burnings in the rural areas. Even today the rural areas are burning. They have not spared a single church building or a Christian house unaffected. Curfew was imposed for namesake but truckloads of VHP/ Bajrangdal activists were imported to riot affected areas. Telecommunication and mobile services was disrupted. Christians are still hiding and the tragedy is in that place and they do not have any thing to eat or Wear and live for shelter. They are deprived of basic amenities for life. No one has taken care for them. The entire district is still burning, people are still dying.

  The latest message that I heard in Barakhama, who survived in the remote parts of the village are now been probably taken to Hindu temples and their heads shaved and they are forced to drink cow dung and deny Christianity and accept Hinduism. All this happens in the very presence of state police. Today there are many more areas like Tikabali, Kalinga, Sankorakholo, Phiringai, Daringibadi, Brahmunigaon, and rural areas of Udayagiri, still facing burnt of VHP and Bajrangdal.  Orissa People are lost every thing. They lost Houses, vehicles, utensils, paddy, clothes and even their Bibles. So I am requesting to you kindly help provide God's word to them.
 

My sincere request is that let these people be given security and right to live peacefully. kindly remember them in your love and compassion. 

 Thank you every one who watched this slide show,

 May God bless you all.