Kandhmal becoming laboratory of hate Mohuya Chaudhary Tuesday, September 02, 2008, (Kandhmal)
Ever since the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakhananda Saraswati in Kandhmal, villagers hide in the forests every night. The fear is so palpable that they speak in hushed voices, afraid to be seen or heard. They pay a heavy price for being Pano Christians, who are accused by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of killing the 84-year-old Swami on August 24. "They came at night and started burning everything. Our food, grains, whatever we had is gone. Our families and children have nowhere to go. We have nothing to wear. I appeal to God - why did they do this to us?" one of the villagers said. Hostility between the Sangh Parivar and Pano Christians, a Dalit group that dominate the Christian community in Kandhmal, goes back 40 years from the time Swami Lakhananad Saraswati set up his ashram in 1967. Though he actively brought the Kandh adivasis, who traditionally worship nature, into the Hindu fold he vehemently opposed conversions by the church. Till the end of his life, Swami was firm on his stand - "they must stop conversions or leave the state." This stern stand has led to several flashpoints between the two groups. On Christmas eve in 2007, over 100 churches were razed and one Hindu village torched. In July 2008, the slaughter of a cow led to clashes in Malipada and a church and orphanage were attacked. The final trigger was the murder of the VHP preacher by 30 masked men, which unleashed the current surge of violence. After this, enraged Hindu groups set Pano dominated villages ablaze. The backlash was so widespread that bodies are still being recovered. Hundreds have been injured and at least 50,000 have turned homeless. "Maoists have never had problems with the Swamiji for so many years. Why will they attack him now? It is a conspiracy by the Pano Christians. They killed him and they must be punished," Bajrang Dal national coordinator Subas Chauhan said. This time the divide is clear. The Panos - both Christians and Hindus - are on one side and are the focus of attacks. On the other side is the Sangh Parivar with tacit support from the Kandh adivasis, some of whom are Christians were spared by the right wing groups. The Kandhs oppose the Pano demand for Scheduled Tribe status. "They must punish the culprits. We know who they are - Pano Christians who else. We have foiled their plan of getting the ST status and got adivasi land back from them. So they want to kill me," said Lamboder Kanhar, president Kui samaj. And caught in this volatile cocktail of caste and communal conflict are poor villagers who have nowhere to go. Those who are outnumbered in their own villages choose the easiest option - that of conversion to the majority. The attacks are fewer in areas where one community dominates. In a clearing deep inside the Kandhmal forests, 17 families are reborn as Hindus. And these neo-Hindus pledge to fight for their religion. Darkness brings some relief and security to the Digal family as their home and belongings were set on fire by rioting Sangh groups in Kandhmal. The jungle offers them a temporary hideout but fear shadows them. "I made a mistake. Now I have come back to the fold. I am now going to pray to the Earth and the Sun. I am ready to give up my life for my dharm," said Kandharu Digal. But the truth lies somewhere in between. "I was a Hindu. When my husband fell ill, I took him to two hospitals but no one helped. I approached the church and they helped me. So I became a Christian," said a local woman. The climate is one of opportunism. Exploiting the fear and helplessness of villagers, reconversions are taking place. But switching sides can only offer a temporary truce. Peace continues to be a fugitive in Kandhmal. With the administration moving slowly in tackling the crisis, senior police sources say both the Hindus and the Christians are arming themselves in case of a backlash. "The church is against violence. We want peace. We can never support these attacks but how can we deny anyone who wants to protect himself? The government has failed to do anything for us and today, minority is being ruled by the mob," said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath. For the first time, country-made firearms have been used for retaliation. There is talk of Christian militancy to counter Hindu fundamentalism. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080063877
