Religious Persecution in Orissa State, Northeast India

In August of 2008, the worst religious persecution documented in Asia in many decades took place in the Northeast Indian state of Orissa. Orissa is a beautiful and remote area of the country in which many tribal people groups live alongside the Hindu majority and a Christian minority. Hindu extremist groups have been agitating the populace for years and are feared for their violent outbursts as are the extreme Maoist groups called Naxilites who are also active all over India. Both of these groups threaten violence if their agendas are not met. The Hindu extremist agenda requires a Hindu-only India while the Naxilites work using violent means to achieve better treatment for the poor. An additional stressor in Orissa is the movement among Dalits (untouchable groups) to gain Tribal Status which would enable them to apply for college loans, food supplement programs and other governmental aid. So in August of 2008 when the Hindu Swami, the Laxmananda Saraswati, president of the VHP, a radical Hindu group, was assassinated the entire area burst into an eight day reign of terror.

Eight Days of Terror

As Hindu extremists took to the streets, cutting off all means of communication and blocking roads with felled trees, tribal groups were incited to join in the alcohol-fed funeral processions which broke out into violent attacks on Christian churches, homes and possessions. Huge mobs of hundreds of men armed with axes, knives, homemade bottle rockets and trisuls (a three pronged weapon) took to the streets killing as they went. Hundreds of Christians were killed, thousands fled into nearby jungles to hide and when they returned some eight days later found all their possessions burned and destroyed. Local police were helpless to stop the violence and in many cases did not try to intervene, fearing for their own safety. Relief camps were constructed all over the area several weeks after the violence subsided and some of those still exist today. Life in the camps was miserable with mud and rain, lack of food and clean water and outbreaks of disease.

The Aftermath

Stories of unbelievable atrocities have come out of Orissa as Christians have struggled to find ways to rebuild, return to work and reclaim their land. While the government encourages them to return to their home villages, many are too afraid to do so. One woman told the story of finding the bodies of her aunt, uncle and mother so mutilated that she could only recognize them by the toe ring her aunt wore. Acid was thrown on faces, limbs were hacked off and bodies were thrown into fires or rivers. While these stories are common knowledge in Christian mission circles, American has been mostly uninformed about the horrendous persecution that took place.

Uneasy Peace

Today Christians have either returned to their homes, keeping a low profile and worshiping privately, or they have moved to neighboring states to find jobs and relative safety. There are still roving bands of young Hindu men all over Orissa who accost Christians and force them to sign renunciation papers demanding a return to their Hindu faith. It is illegal in Orissa to forcibly convert anyone from one faith to another by coercion; however this law is only enforced when Christians are involved. A new state government in Orissa promises that they will do a better job of policing their extremist groups, but Christians still live today in fear for their safety.