Two Christians killed in Orissa; churches destroyed in Madya Pradesh, Kerala; missionaries targeted
ICC Note: Two more Christian dead over the past weekend, with Hindus showing their hatred by cutting the men's bodies into pieces.
by Nirmala Carvalho
9/22/08 Mumbai (AsiaNews) - No end to the attacks and violence against Christians. In Orissa, where for more than three weeks a pogrom against Catholics and Protestants has been underway, two more killings have been recorded. Iswar Digal and Purinder Pradhan were murdered and cut to pieces. Iswar Digal, was from the the village of Gatringia in the district of Kandhamal; he was stopped on September 20 by a group of Hindu extremists while he and his wife were trying to escape to a refugee camp. Their home was burned. The other victim was from Nilungia. His body was cut to pieces, put into a jute sack, and thrown into a pond.
...The pogrom to "kill all Christians and destroy their institutions" is motivated in part by the accusations according to which Christians are coercing tribals and Dalits to convert through force or bribery.
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The primary targets of the Hindu radicals are the priests, the sisters, and their families. They are attacked, and often forced to convert to Hinduism. Even in the camps, the persecution is strong, and the police check to make sure "that there are no conversions". Priests and sisters present in the camp must conceal their identity.
A sister at the camp in Raikia (district of Kandhamal) tells AsiaNews:
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"This is my tenth day at the camp and even now, I cannot hold back my tears. I have never seen a sight like this before in my life. Yes, I have seen natural calamities like tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclones, but nothing as horrifying as this. The intent of the radicals to destroy humanity is so intense - brutality has no limit, the torture and devastation has stooped to levels beyond imagination"... [Go To Full Story]
