Orissa Christians Suspect Hindu Hand Behind Saraswati Murder
By Christopher Joseph
September 12, 2008
BHUBANESWAR, India (UCAN) -- Christians in Orissa say they suspect the
murder of a Hindu leader that triggered anti-Christian violence was
part of a well-planned political strategy of Hindu radical groups.
That suspicion is very strong among Christians here, says Reverend
Sudhansu Naik in the state capital of Bhubaneswar, 1,745 kilometers
southeast of New Delhi. The Baptist pastor told UCA News on Sept. 11
that many Christians believe Hindu radical groups carried out Swami
Laxmananda Saraswati's murder or collaborated in the crime.
Violence against Christians began after the 85-year-old Hindu leader
and his four associates were gunned down on Aug. 23. A Maoist group
claimed responsibility for the murders but Hindu radical groups
continue to blame Christians.
The swami was based in Orissa's Kandhamal district, a Christian
stronghold 350 kilometers west of Bhubaneswar.
Since Aug. 24, the district has been the epicenter of an
anti-Christian pogrom. At least 27 people, mostly Christians, have
been killed in the violence.
Christians raise several questions about the murder.
Why did the government fail to protect (Swami Saraswati) after he
complained about a threat to his life? asks a Protestant lawyer who
fled Kandhamal and is now living in Bhubaneswar.
The swami had reportedly complained to state officials and police
about a Maoist threat to his life a few days before his death.
Following a similar complaint a few years ago, the administration
provided him police protection. The Hindu leader also had personal
bodyguards.
Reverend Naik wants to know where those bodyguards were when Swami
Saraswati was murdered. Why did the police fail to act, if they were
there? If enough police force wasn't there, who was responsible?
The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people's party) is a
ruling coalition partner in Orissa, where elections are due in 2009.
If Maoists killed him, (the Hindu radicals) encouraged them to kill
him. If Maoists have not killed him, then they themselves must have
killed him, Reverend Naik asserted.
The Baptist pastor noted that Hindu extremists began blaming
Christians even before a preliminary probe. Even after Maoists
admitted the responsibility, why do they insist it was done by
Christians? he asked.
A. Senapati, a lawyer and Catholic activist, quoted newspaper reports
saying the murderers had used automatic Sten guns to kill Swami
Saraswati. If such guns were available to Christians, they would have
used them to defend themselves against violent mobs, he added.
A Catholic priest, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Christians in
Kandhamal are poor farmers. How can they think of buying guns that
require training to use? he asked.
Senapati wonders why the swami's body was cremated without an autopsy
when the law requires postmortems on bodies in cases of unnatural
deaths. If BJP was upset about the murder, why did they continue in
the government that failed to protect their leader? he asked,
alleging that anti-Christian violence was carried out with state
support.
The lawyer bemoaned the government shoot-on-sight order had remained
only on paper. Speaking to UCA News, he claimed police were asked not
to act against the violence.
Reverend Naik says the fighting has strong political connotations,
because only the Hindu groups have benefited from it. The pastor
pointed out that Kandhamal's 120,000 Christian voters would
definitely vote against the BJP, since the district had witnessed
anti-Christian violence during the 2007 Christmas season. The Hindu
radicals needed to do something to win political support there, he
added.
A Catholic priest at the archbishop's residence, who also insisted on
anonymity, says Swami Saraswati's murder only brought suffering for
Christians. Christians in Orissa now want a federal probe because the
local administration could easily claim to prove a Christian hand
behind the murder by picking up a few poor innocent Christians.
Another priest said the slain Hindu leader had already reached a ripe
age and would have survived only a few more years with medication, so
Hindu radical groups must have thought of a better way of using him.
Courtesy: UCAN News Agency
