Two churches razed amid eviction of Santhal tribals in Assam
ICC Note
“The victims comprise of women, children, babies, lactating mothers, pregnant women, sick and infirmed. They have lost everything and are spending cold nights under the open sky,”
11/3/ 2010, India (Christian Today) – A total of about 1,215 families have been affected and the victims include children and pregnant women.
Two churches were allegedly burnt down as the Assam Forest Department pounced upon houses of tribal families living in Lungsung area of Kokrajhar district, Assam.
According to sources at the site, a Catholic church at Kodomtola Village and a Pentecost church at Gadatola were burnt while an eviction team savagely burnt over 400 hutments belonging to the Santhal community.
A total of about 1,215 families have been affected and the victims include children and pregnant women.
Supposedly, more than 200 men were employed to evict the Adivasis who although were living in Assam for decades had to flee their homes as they were yet to be granted the tribal status.
But a fact-finding report by two activists of a local NGO, PAJHRA, informs that the Adivasis occupied the area much before 1965 and in 1974 were also promised land entitlements by the government.
The report informed that the eviction team ruthlessly dealt with the Adivasis and even arrested about 44 men who stood against the women being molested.
“The victims comprise of women, children, babies, lactating mothers, pregnant women, sick and infirmed. They have lost everything and are spending cold nights under the open sky,” said the report.
The leaders of the villages have reported to the local media but so far there has been little response. Apart from the two churches, eight primary schools as well were burnt in the assault.
The two activists – Satyanath Tudu and Stephen Lakra – have called on NGOs to spring into action by providing food and shelter to the 45 villages affected. In addition to that, counselling and medical care must be provided to the raped victims.
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