Centre to intervene in Orissa's incessant violence

Reacting sharply to the continuous attack on Christian minority in Orissa and Karnataka, the Centre has decided to convene a meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) on October 13 to talk about the growing communal violence and review all matters pertaining to national integration.

Despite Orissa government’s claim of containing violence, religious clashes among Hindus and Christians continued to escalate last week, resulting in deaths of more people in a string of violent incidents.

The recent report of a 28-year-old Catholic nun being raped by a Hindu during the communal riot at K. Nuagaon in Kandhamal district, and the police inaction to book the real culprit even after a month of the incident only leaves a real picture of the law and order situation in the state.

According to Orissa police, over 300 miscreants have been arrested from Kandhamal and adjoin districts including activists of right-wing Hindu organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad. But nothing such has been done so far to address the grievances of Christians. Thousands of them are still in government relief camps after the extremist burnt down their homes.

The Centre has come down heavily on the BJD-BJP led Orissa government for failing to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already termed the violence in Kandhamal, a “national shame”.

The violence that broke out soon after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati – as extreme Hindu groups insisted the hand of Christians behind the killing and started attacking the minority – has so far claimed over 35 lives.

Hard-line Hindu groups like VHP and Bajrang Dal claim that Christian missionaries are engaged in forceful conversion and even by luring tribal Hindus by financial aid. To the contrary, missionaries say lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape discrimination of the rigid caste-system.

Meanwhile the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), a partner of ruling alliance in Orissa and main opposition in Centre, has warned the UPA government against imposing President’s Rule in violence-torn Orissa.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu told: “The BJP would like to warn the government not to be adventurous in Orissa and not to impose Article 356.”

Article 356 of the Indian constitution gives the central government the authority to dismiss any state government if there has been failure of constitutional machinery. The president then governs the state, and executive authority is delegated to the state governor.

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