Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bubaneshwar (Agenzia Fides) - Non-violent protest for the discrimination and persecution of Christians in Orissa; demand for a thorough investigation on the involvement of the military vertex in anti-Christian massacres in Kandhamal, the district of Orissa scene of violence in 2008, to put on trial the guilty; denounce the social, economic and religious boycott that today we see in Orissa, imposed on Christians by Hindu militants of the extremist movements like the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)”; to ask for the withdrawal of the controversial " anti-conversion law " in the name of which arrests and violence against Christians are preformed: with these reasons the ecumenical movement in India "Global Council of Indian Christians (GCICC) have announced tomorrow, May 6, a day`s hunger strike which will be held in Bubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa.
The Council, as its national President, Sajan K. George explains to Fides, intends to attract the attention of institutions on the current state of Orissa, where the phenomenon of violence, overt or latent, on citizens of Christian faith "continues in a creeping way, ready to explode again , with the support of the civil authorities. "
Sajan K. George will lead the public Day protest and fasting in Bubaneshwar, in which all the faithful and all people of good will can join in every part of India. A lot of faithful are expected, while in other cities like Delhi and Bangalore, simultaneously, similar initiatives will be held. The faithful of Orissa, GCICC tells Fides, "are marginalized and deprived of their basic rights because of their faith. Everything is done even to prevent them from simply professing the Christian religion. The situation is very serious and requires full awareness of the federal government. "
In 2008, violence against Christians in Orissa affected 13 districts and provoked over 100 dead; in the Kandhamal district alone 6,600 houses were destroyed and 56,000 were internally displaced. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 05/05/2011)
