Through this article Philip K Varghese recounts a firsthand story of the brutal attack on Christians in Orissa and the aftermath

We often read about Christian being discriminated against, threatened, beaten, tortured or killed in this news paper and from numerous other Christian media. Do we read these articles/stories and just shake our head and say, ‘Life will always be difficult for the believer’ or just move across to the next news story? I am in New Delhi and you could be in any one of the Indian cities or places with substantial Christian populations like Kerala or in one of the developed nations with a Christian heritage like Canada or Unites States i.e., all locations where the chances of verbal abuse or physical attack is many times lower than in places like Orissa. Hence, there is a strong inclination for us to be hypocritical by not doing anything for our suffering brethren on the one hand and on the other sympathising momentarily with them as if it is some sort of a TV advertisement which fails to hold our attention.

I attended the Christian protest meet at the Orissa Bhawan last year and went away disappointed. The meet was organised jointly by all the churches yet there was not a decent sound system. Most of the few who bothered to gather could hardly hear what the speakers were saying. Most speakers except for the CNI representative were apologetic that the meeting had to happen. There was not a single speaker from the Pentecostal fraternity despite the fact that it was Pentecostals who bore the brunt of the Orissa attacks. Was it that the rest of the churches didn’t want Pentecostal leaders to speak or were Pentecostals self-righteous and decided not to share the platform with those who ‘distort’ the truth. The whole affair was a sorry testament to the state of the Indian Church and at best an insult to those who suffered in Orissa.

Since this experience I have been motivated to work for persecuted Christians and continue to pray that I be used as an instrument in His hands. As a starting point it was crucial that I go beyond the shallowness of being secure in Delhi and visit ground-zero to really understand what happened in Kandhamal.

In the last week of September I went to Orissa with the intention of visiting fellow believers in Kandhamal who have been attacked by Hindu extremists. On my trip to Orissa and during the whole time I was in Kandhamal I was really scared and my wife was even more scared than me. My parents kept calling me every few hours. My host during my stay in Orissa was Pastor Binu – a missionary from Kerala. Binu has been in Orissa for over 7 years now.

September 26th – 7 years ago was the day when Binu was threatened with death by extremists if he did not leave the area in 2 days and God has been so faithful and great to ensure that at the same place seven years later the Sunday church worship could be held in a big hall of the school that Binu started. I had the privilege of preaching on that day. We left for Kandhamal on the evening of the Sunday – my mind was being engulfed with dark thoughts – something untoward would happen during our time in Kandhamal. Binu lives in a small town called Chandpur which is about 70kms from Bhubaneshwar, in the Nayagarh district and is just off the NH-5. We had to come back to the state capital to get a bus to Kandhamal as it was difficult to get any buses from Chandpur especially with it being the Durga Puja holidays. We travelled the entire night and on Monday morning at around 7am we reached our destination of Baligudi in deep Kandhamal. I was nervous and scared as I stepped off the bus but tried my best not to show it.

Baligudi was a small town and on the day the place was crowded with people flocking to the main temple for the Hindu festival of Durga Puja. We settled into our motel which was much more than my expectations from such a place. Less than an hour later we started to have visitors – they were missionaries and pastors who survived the riots, lynching and bomb attacks of last year. The attacks started on 24th August which was a Sunday.

What I’m now going to write are what pastors, missionaries and my host have told me about what happened to Christians from 24th August 2008 onwards.

There were over 100 deaths in Raikiya panchayat alone while official government figures for the whole of Orissa are 60 dead. From his sources, Binu came to understand that at least 50 pastors were killed while only one pastor’s killers were convicted a week before I was in Orissa.

Financial aid declared by the government for rebuilding the churches was never given because the Hindus protested. Strange how the declaration of the aid made it to the national papers but the delay (or in reality backtracking) never made it. The govt. though is providing a certain amount per family for rebuilding their homes. Rs.10,000 is first paid out and the beneficiary has to show the work done with the money before the rest can be sanctioned. However for those who have lost everything and have been living in refugee camps paying the deposit on the houses they will have to take on rent and buying food are a priority. In most cases Christians are simply not allowed to go back to the villages unless they become Hindus. Local shops away from the small towns do not sell anything to Christians.

At the local government clinic the reception asks whether the patient is a Hindu or a Christian and if Christian a mark is made on the admit card which the patient has to submit to the doctor. Presumably, the treatment will also be biased – this is nothing but blatant discrimination and victimisation by the government institutions themselves of Christians.

Christians are not allowed to draw water from the community wells nor are their names given for work under the NREGA(National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme which was now been renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The scheme was launched by the UPA government in 2005 to provide employment in rural areas for 100 days in a year for which the worker will be paid Rs100/day. As per process the Gram Panchayat has to take the details of the villagers willing to work within their jurisdiction and issue jobcards. The Gram Panchayat then has to forward to names to the next higher authority. Readers also need to understand that in almost all cases where the Hindu villagers gathered with outsiders for a meeting before attacking Christians there is an overlap with the Gram Panchayat i.e., in effect it is the government body at the local level which conspired to attack Christians and continue to boycott them.

One of those I spoke to said that the local police are in cahoots with the attackers. He said that before any raid to catch the culprits the police inform them and after the culprits have escaped the police come in a dramatic fashion and conduct a sham search.

Pastor Junus Nayak was our host during our stay in Kandhamal. He said on Aug.24th evening, the mob came and burned the church. They chased the pastor and family. The mob looted the pastor’s home of all money and valuables. Then they poured petrol and kerosene and burned the house. That night they went to a believer’s house which was not attacked and thought that there won’t be any more attacks. Next day morning over a 1000 member mob came and started to break down the door with axes. The pastor had an accident some years back and can’t walk properly so some of his believers carried him and ran into the forest. They were in the jungle for 3 days and while in the forest they were provided some food by a Hindu family. The government send out its officials to near the forest to announce through the loud-speakers that everyone in the forest can go the relief camp. Government gave a total of Rs.15,000. Pastor Nayak asks, “With the money will he eat or rebuild the house? “.

Pr. Junus said that they have lost everything and in the Bible it is said to shown the other cheek but even the back has been beaten. Christians are not being allowed to go back to the villages, local shops don’t sell them things. Only in those areas which can be called a town do they get to buy what they need. Pastor asks how much longer they can live like this ?

Simeon from Pivigad village said that he and the others hid in the jungles when the attackers came. The next day the attackers called them down from the jungle saying that they will have a peace meeting. Instead as soon as Simeon came down they beat him mercilessly, broke his arms and legs, shaved his head and made him drink a mixture of cow urine and cow drink which is part of a ‘purification’ ritual before conversion to Hinduism. All the Christians were taken to the temple and asked to come the next day instead they went to the relief camp at Nuagaon. While beating Simeon the attackers kept saying that you should leave the foreign God and come back to the God of his people.

Fr.Dushyant Nayak and Fr.Norbert live at the Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre. Fr.Nayak said that it was the biggest building in the area and hence a prime target. The building was burned down and burnt vehicles are still on its premises. Fr.Nayak who is in charge of the centre is a picture of boldness and faith. He asked that I pray for the Youth Retreat he was to conduct in a few days for over 200 youngsters. Nearby is the Catholic led Jana Nayak Kendra (Social Development Centre) on the premises of which a nun was brutally raped while two of the attackers pinned down her arms and a mob watched on. She was dragged from a building across the road along with the Catholic priest she was hiding with. The priest was severely beaten and he passed away recently.

Purushottam Nayak is an 85 year old missionary and preacher who did not have anything to say about the attacks instead he told us that he has walked across hills and through forests for hours to tell people the Good News. His son living a few steps away from him rebuilt his destroyed home and has dedicated a major portion to be used as a prayer room/church. He works in a government hospital and was able to get financial aid much earlier than others.

I met a completely paralysed brother – Bishikant who hurt his back in a school playground accident during his teens. For the last 14 years all that he can move are his facial muscles and his tongue. He told us about the day the rioters came. His brother came running into the house screaming that the attackers are coming. Bishikant asked him to escape with the rest of the family but they lifted the cot on which he was lying and laid it beside a mango tree a bit away from the house and ran into the jungle. Bishikant said as he laid there his sight was blurring from the direct sunlight. He could hear murderous screams of the mob and as he viewed from the corner of his eye his house was engulfed in flames and people were even cutting down the plants and trees within the compound. Suddenly one among the mob noticed him and called out to the rest saying that someone was sleeping under the tree. Around 40 attackers ran to where Bishikant was lying and stood around him and the tree. One of them went back to the house and pulled out a burning wooden piece while another opened a container of kerosene/petrol. As they were about to burn Bishikant a villager who knew Bishikant dissuaded them from killing him and forcibly pushed them back by saying that, ‘this one is completely paralysed let’s go find the others’. Those that wanted to burn Bishikant kept abusing him as they were pushed back. Bishikant just laid there silently. As the afternoon turned into the darkness of night his mother crept beside his cot and lighted a lamp and Bishikant asked her to turn it down as it could attract bears. His mother sewed together a sheet of leaves and laid it on him as it started to drizzle and she went away into the forest. As the drizzle evolved into heavy rain the sheet of leaves slipped away and Bishikant laid there completely drenched. As the rain stopped he cried out to the Lord asking why he let him live when he could have died this day. He said as he cried he saw someone in glowing white clothing walking beside his cot. Bishikant felt strengthened by this experience.

Today Bishikant lives with his brother and the rest of the family in a rented accommodation near Nuagaon some distance away from his village. He said that no doctor can cure him but if the Lord wills he will be cured in no time. As I stood there listening to this amazing testimony which was filled with faith, boldness and clarity I assured him that I will take his story to the world beyond Kandhamal.

It is very difficult to do justice to all those who have spoken to me, through this article for obvious reasons – length of the article, need to make the article ‘interesting’ and finally the limitations of the written word itself.

However the very least I can do is to mention the names of the dear brothers in Kandhamal who I had the privilege to meet and speak to:

Pr. Pradeep from Godi Padar village; Pr. Rajesh Bagiradhi from Kandhari Munda; Ranjit Digal – brother-in law of Pastor Rajesh Bagiradhi lives in Sundermilla; Sema Digal and Budura Digal are from Lunchurima; Pr. Dilip Digal from Sayalipoda; Sanattang Digal; Pr.Bishikesh and several others whose names I regretfully failed to record or remember.

My dear brothers and sisters even while you may have the privilege of reading this in peace our fellow brethren in places like Kandhamal and other regions in India are suffering for the faith. Will you stand up for the faith and your persecuted brethren or would you rather move on to a ‘more interesting article’?

If you would like to discuss about the persecution the church is facing today or if you are already involved in some way, I would be eager to hear from you. You can email me at philipvarghesek@hotmail.com