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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Shame in Orissa

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A Christian soldier who fought in the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan is in a refugee camp today after he and his family were driven out from their native village by Hindu mobs.

Motilal Pradhan of the 244 Medium Artillery regiment lost one of his brothers when his house in the riot-ravaged Kandhamal district was set on fire on August 24.

"I have fought against ULFA (the Assam militant group), served in insurgency-infested Baramulla region and fought in Drass sector during the Kargil War. We were called Drass Devils," he told HT as he stood in the middle of the government-run refugee center - one of the two such centers - in Bhubaneswar. There are around 500 others like him at the center.

"But now," Motilal said, "I cannot return to my own village." Motila1and several others have got a message from his village: reconvert to Hinduism and then think of returning to Gadragaon.

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To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Churches attacked, woman burnt alive

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A 45 year old woman, employed as a cook in a missionary school in Orissa's Bargarh district, was burnt to death on Monday when the school was set on fire allegedly by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protesters. The pastor running the school was also injured.

The VHP-sponsored bandh, to protest the killing of their leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four disciples, witnessed attacks on churches and missionary schools across the state, reminiscent of the Graham Staines case in January 1999.

"We are afraid to move out. Some Christians staying in institutions or bungalows are hiding in jungles or villages," said Sambalpur Bishop Lucas Kerketta, whose jurisdiction includes Bargarh. "We have two to three policemen, and they can't control a big crowd... we have asked for more security".

To read the full article, click here..
To read the epaper, visit: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com

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