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Journalism of Courage
Following the violence against churches and Christian institutions in Orissa, all Christian educational institutes across India will remain closed on Friday as a mark of protest.
“We are closing down schools and educational institutions to show our deep anguish,” said John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council (AICC). The organisation also pointedly accused the Orissa Government for the communal flare-up. “Governance in Orissa appears to have disintegrated. Some people have called the violence ‘Hindu-Christian clashes’ but this is not accurate. Innocent Christians, mostly of Dalit origin, continue to be attacked by communal organisations which are mocking the rule of law,” AICC president Joseph D’Souza said.
Meanwhile, the move to shut down educational institutes has come as something of a shock to the Sangh Parivar, which believes that the Christian community is co-opting what is supposed to be an outrage against Hindus — the violence here started as a response to the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, known for opposing the conversion of tribals to Christianity — and is deflecting focus in order to highlight its own issues instead. “The church is trying to involve the students in its politics. They are playing a different game. It is not progressive, but a reactionary strategy,” said Subhash Chouhan, national co-convenor of the Bajrang Dal. Dayal, on the other hand, alleged, “the role of the VHP should be investigated. The RSS is known to sacrifice its own people for bigger gains.”
On the day of the Orissa bandh on Monday, a rampaging mob set fire to a Christian-run orphanage in Bargarh district killing Rajni Majhi, a 22-year-old woman who was initially thought to be a Christian, but was revealed to be a Hindu. Several other Christians have also been targeted by rioters.
(with PTI inputs)
