12/30/2018 India (International Christian Concern) – On December 17, Congress Party leader Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in riots that led to the killing of thousands of Sikhs in 1984. According to the High Court of Delhi, Kumar clearly played a role in “abetting and instigating” people to kill Sikhs after the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The sentencing of Kumar after 34 years has given hope to the Christian victims of the 2008 Kandhamal riots. Although 10 years has passed since the riots, many victims have yet to receive any form of justice.
In August 2008, the assassination of a radical Hindu nationalist leader in the Kandhamal District of India’s Odisha State set off three months of anti-Christian riots. As a result, an estimated 100 Christians were killed, thousands of Christian homes were destroyed, and nearly 54,000 people were displaced.
Now that India has finally brought Sajjan Kumar to justice, will its attention be turned to the perpetrators of the 2008 Kandhamal violence?
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
