Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bhubaneswar (Agenzia Fides) – Endless stream of Christians killed in Orissa, a Christian named Nayak Suryakant was Murdered in the village of Bakingia, near the town of Raikia, 'which is in the district of Kandhamal, theater of the known anti-Christian massacres of 2008. As reported to Fides by the local Church, the murder happened on the night of March 2, but the news was broadcast now. This is the second murder in a month, after a Catholic had been killed in recent days, on charges of witchcraft (see Fides 09/03/2012).
Suryakant, a daily labourer, was a faithful of the "Church of North India", of the Baptist denomination. He lived with his mother and three daughters, 5, 7 and 9 years old. According to the reconstruction reported to Fides by the local Church, on March 2, Raikia was with his mother and three daughters and, after withdrawing 1.500 rupees (about $ 33) from a bank, he did some shopping. On the way back, about a mile from his home, Nayak stopped at the house of a man who produces and sells liqueurs, while the rest of the family returned home. At this point there was no trace of him.
The next day relatives and the villagers started to look for him, denouncing the disappearance to the police, while some villagers reported seeing him drunk. After two days of research, on March 6, his body was found in a nearby well in Pajumaha. The body had fractures on both hands and wrists. The mouth and lips were severely injured and had no teeth, and there were numerous bruises which are clear signs of beatings. According to the victims’ relatives "it is certainly a case of murder." Fr. Prabodh Pradhan, parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary in Raikia agrees with the thesis and says to Fides: "This is the sixth murder of Christians in Kandhamal district in the last 14 months. It is very worrying". The local community is alarmed and frightened by a series of murders which go unpunished. (SD-PA) (Agenzia Fides 13/3/2012)
