Date : 28th December 2009
BHUBANESWAR: The district administration of the trouble-torn Kandhamal has taken the initiative to provide employment opportunities to unemployed youth as part of its social responsibility.
Organising a first-ever job mela in the district headquarters on the Christmas-eve, the administration identified over 2,000 unemployed youth for job-linked training programmes.
Bangalore-based Raxa Security Agency, a subsidiary of GMR group, recruited 40 persons at the job mela (employment fair) on a monthly salary of Rs 6,500, Kandhamal district collector Krishen Kumar told this paper.
While a first batch of 270 youths from the district are undergoing a three-month training programme at the Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC) here from October, 600 more have been selected for the training programme.
The second batch will join the training course in January, he said.
As two more ATDC centres are coming up at Berhampur and Rourkela, arrangements are being made with the new centres for skill upgradation and capacity building of the interested youth of the district. The training cost of the selected youth is covered under the Sampoorn Gramin Rojgar Yojana (SGSY), a self-employment scheme of the Centre.
More and more youth are keen on the training programme as employment is guaranteed after the training, Kumar said.
Another 64 youths have been selected for training at the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) training centre at Hinjilikatu in Ganjam district. IL&FS, a leading infrastructure and finance company, is going to set up its second training centre in Phulbani.
Kumar said that 540 persons have been identified for livelihood training programme imparted by IL&FS.
The Bangalore-based Construction Skill Training Institute (CSTI), a concern of engineering and construction giant Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and National Academy of Construction, Hyderabad, have offered to provide training in masonry, plumbing, carpentry, electrical wiring and related trades in the construction business.
The two training institutes will provide three months training for which 600 youths have been identified. The two institutes have also assured job guarantee to the trained persons.
Kumar said job mela will be organised every quarter to facilitate employment opportunities for the unemployed of the district. As registration at the employment exchanges is almost nil, efforts will be made to register unemployed youth at panchayat level, he added.
PM enquired about Kandhamal riot victims during Orissa visit
Date : 28th December 2009
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enquired from a Congress delegation about the situation in Kandhamal, the scene of last year's communal riots, during his brief visit to the state, surprising those who tried to raise issues like multi-crore mining scams and farmers' suicides.
"How is the ground situation in Kandhamal?” Singh asked the delegation, led by the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh, Monday.
The Congress delegation, mostly comprising sitting MLAs of the Orissa Assembly, which tried to impress upon Singh on the multi-crore mining scam and a series of farmer suicide incidents in the state, were instead asked whether normalcy had completely returned in the district.
"Have all the people returned to their villages?” the PM asked, according to a member of the delegation.
Though there had been no violence in the district since last 15 months, all those who fled the region were yet to return to villages, they informed the PM adding, those remained in the district were still under apprehension of fresh violence.
"The sense of fear still continues among the people belonging to minority community," the delegation told the Prime Minister.
The riots had claimed at least 38 lives besides burning of hundreds of houses and churches in the aftermath of the VHP leader Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati last year.
Singh had earlier dubbed the incident as a "national shame".
During its about 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress delegation sought his intervention into the mining scam.
"We wanted the PM to do something so that the case would be probed by the CBI instead of the state vigilance", said an MLA.
The delegation which met Singh at Raj Bhavan here between his two programmes - inaugural function of Indian Economic Association and foundation stone laying ceremony of the new campus of the NISER, also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the distress sale of paddy in the state.
The delegation informed the PM about the plight of tribals, dalits and other backward class population in the state's KBK region besides drawing his attention to the increasing Maoist violence here.
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enquired from a Congress delegation about the situation in Kandhamal, the scene of last year's communal riots, during his brief visit to the state, surprising those who tried to raise issues like multi-crore mining scams and farmers' suicides.
"How is the ground situation in Kandhamal?” Singh asked the delegation, led by the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh, Monday.
The Congress delegation, mostly comprising sitting MLAs of the Orissa Assembly, which tried to impress upon Singh on the multi-crore mining scam and a series of farmer suicide incidents in the state, were instead asked whether normalcy had completely returned in the district.
"Have all the people returned to their villages?” the PM asked, according to a member of the delegation.
Though there had been no violence in the district since last 15 months, all those who fled the region were yet to return to villages, they informed the PM adding, those remained in the district were still under apprehension of fresh violence.
"The sense of fear still continues among the people belonging to minority community," the delegation told the Prime Minister.
The riots had claimed at least 38 lives besides burning of hundreds of houses and churches in the aftermath of the VHP leader Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati last year.
Singh had earlier dubbed the incident as a "national shame".
During its about 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress delegation sought his intervention into the mining scam.
"We wanted the PM to do something so that the case would be probed by the CBI instead of the state vigilance", said an MLA.
The delegation which met Singh at Raj Bhavan here between his two programmes - inaugural function of Indian Economic Association and foundation stone laying ceremony of the new campus of the NISER, also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the distress sale of paddy in the state.
The delegation informed the PM about the plight of tribals, dalits and other backward class population in the state's KBK region besides drawing his attention to the increasing Maoist violence here.
Christmas passes off peacefully in Kandhamal
Phulbani, Dec. 25 2009: Christmas celebrations passed off peacefully in Kandhamal district of Odisha on Friday. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.
Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in areas having Christian population across the district to make the event peaceful.
Members of the Christian community attended the midnight mass in different churches in the district without fear.
Police had intensified patrolling round the clock to keep the miscreants at bay.
People were also seen visiting churches and prayer house throughout the day.
Christmas celebrations were hampered in Kandhamal during the past two years due to communal tension.
When many churches were attacked on Christmas day in the district in 2007, there was little celebration last year as thousands of Christian families that fled their homes in the wake of communal riots during August, September and October had not returned to their villages.
Hundreds of Christian families have not returned to their villages till date as communal tension continues to prevail in the interior pockets of the district.
The district had witnessed large scale attacks on Christians and their homes and places of worship following the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in August last year.
Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in areas having Christian population across the district to make the event peaceful.
Members of the Christian community attended the midnight mass in different churches in the district without fear.
Police had intensified patrolling round the clock to keep the miscreants at bay.
People were also seen visiting churches and prayer house throughout the day.
Christmas celebrations were hampered in Kandhamal during the past two years due to communal tension.
When many churches were attacked on Christmas day in the district in 2007, there was little celebration last year as thousands of Christian families that fled their homes in the wake of communal riots during August, September and October had not returned to their villages.
Hundreds of Christian families have not returned to their villages till date as communal tension continues to prevail in the interior pockets of the district.
The district had witnessed large scale attacks on Christians and their homes and places of worship following the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in August last year.
Ten convicted in arson cases in Kandhamal
Phulbani (Orissa), Dec 23 2009 Ten people were today sentenced to three to five years of rigorous imprisonment for torching houses of some people belonging to a minority community during last year's communal violence in Kandhamal district of Orissa.
Five persons were sentenced to five years of RI by a fast track court judge S K Das, while five others were awarded three years imprisonment by another fast track court judge C R Das for burning houses at Bedinaju and Kirtiguda villages respectively.
Both the incidents took place after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on August 23, last year.
About 25,000 people fled their homes after they were attacked by thousands of people who held the Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing.
Five persons were sentenced to five years of RI by a fast track court judge S K Das, while five others were awarded three years imprisonment by another fast track court judge C R Das for burning houses at Bedinaju and Kirtiguda villages respectively.
Both the incidents took place after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on August 23, last year.
About 25,000 people fled their homes after they were attacked by thousands of people who held the Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing.
Extra policemen in Kandhamal for trouble-free Christmas
Thousands of policemen have been deployed in Orissa's trouble-hit Kandhamal district to ensure peaceful Christmas celebrations, authorities said on Tuesday.
The district witnessed widespread communal violence last year after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
"We have deployed adequate number of policemen in all sensitive places of the district. We have also intensified checking in all entry and exit points," Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar told IANS.
"We are intensifying police patrolling to ensure trouble-free Christmas celebrations," he said.
A district-level peace committee meeting was held at the district headquarters of Phulbani Monday. It was attended by leaders of all religious communities, local political leaders and officials.
"We decided in the meeting to hold such a get-together on a regular basis, especially a few days before any religious celebration," District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS.
"Such meetings would also be held in block headquarters. The local authorities will organise them," he said.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of the VHP leader and four of his aides at his ashram August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after they were attacked by mobs.
The district witnessed widespread communal violence last year after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
"We have deployed adequate number of policemen in all sensitive places of the district. We have also intensified checking in all entry and exit points," Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar told IANS.
"We are intensifying police patrolling to ensure trouble-free Christmas celebrations," he said.
A district-level peace committee meeting was held at the district headquarters of Phulbani Monday. It was attended by leaders of all religious communities, local political leaders and officials.
"We decided in the meeting to hold such a get-together on a regular basis, especially a few days before any religious celebration," District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS.
"Such meetings would also be held in block headquarters. The local authorities will organise them," he said.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of the VHP leader and four of his aides at his ashram August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians forced to flee their homes after they were attacked by mobs.
Kandhamal nun rape: Main accused arrested
Date: 7th Dec 2009
BHUBANESWAR: The main accused in the gang rape of a nun in Orissa's Kandhamal district during last year's communal clashes has been arrested,
"We have arrested Gururam Patra from Dharampur area of the district on Sunday evening," investigating officer B K Mohanty said.
Patra had allegedly led the mob that attacked the nun at K Nuagaon village in the district on August 24 last year and then raped her.
With Patra's arrest, the total number of people held in the case has gone up to 19. Mohanty said at least 11 accused in the case are absconding and efforts are on to nab them.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs.
BHUBANESWAR: The main accused in the gang rape of a nun in Orissa's Kandhamal district during last year's communal clashes has been arrested,
"We have arrested Gururam Patra from Dharampur area of the district on Sunday evening," investigating officer B K Mohanty said.
Patra had allegedly led the mob that attacked the nun at K Nuagaon village in the district on August 24 last year and then raped her.
With Patra's arrest, the total number of people held in the case has gone up to 19. Mohanty said at least 11 accused in the case are absconding and efforts are on to nab them.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread communal violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23 last year. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings.
At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs.
Re-build civil society in Kandhamal of Orissa
Date : 04 Dec 2009
Original Trackback URL
From John Dayal in Kandhamal: Of the 12 murder cases tried in the Fast Track courts in Phulbani, Kandhamal district of Odisha, the accused have been let off in 11 murders and convicted in just one. A member of the State Legislative assembly on the Bharatiya Janata party ticket, Manoj Pradhan, has been let off in the four cases in which he has been tried so ar. He and his henchmen have been accused by the witnesses of terrorising them, or seeking to bribe them.
A belated effort is now being made to revive civil society and the process of justice and reconciliation towards a lasting peace in Kandhamal, which remains the worst single case of persecution of Christians in South Asia. Most of the over 5,000 houses destroyed in
the December 2007 and August 24-October, 2008 mayhem remain un-built, and several thousand of the 50,000 Christian refugees are still to return home. Many cannot as they have been told they have to convert to Hinduism before they will be accepted in the villages. The threats and coercion continue till today.
The police and administration, as usual, look on. The one change is the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s acceptance, in an answer in the State legislature, that it was the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its sister organisations of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which were responsible in the anti Christian violence, the first time the government has accepted this reality. Two judicial commissions of
enquiry, plodding on in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, are yet to admit this fact.
The following is an update:
I. The Harsh Reality of Odisha and especially of Kandhamal is:
1. No one raised a voice when violence hit the Christians in December 2007 and August 2008, not even the governments.
2. Civil Society in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, if it existed, played dead, and nation was not moved.
3. Barring a few Left parties who could protest, the Political Apparatus remained silent and invisible, including so called friendly parties and groups
4. The Media was violently biased, specially the Odia Media
5. Fact Finding groups either misunderstood the causes, or just blamed either Conversions or Dalit-Tribal conflicts as the cause of the violence, and even people’s enquiry commissions including a Judge and Teesta Setalvad have yet to give their reports on the 2007 violence.
6. Post violence, civil society and peace institutions have yet to be revived.
7. Church was shattered, deeply wounded and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the violence. Barring the PILs in the Supreme Court, no real pressure on Government to construct all houses fully, pay sustenance allowances etc, and government jobs.
II. Post Violence;
1. Church is focussed on helping complete houses instead of using the law to let government complete the houses. As a result, though the Catholic Church says it will help complete 1,200 houses, Believers Church 900 Houses, Eficor about 300 houses, and CNI a similar number, another 2,500 houses remain without help. Also, without help are the 250 or so victims of the 2007 violence, especially in Barakhama, who have been left to thereon devices.
2. Although there has been much work by religious groups in distributing Holy Bibles and clothes, and in counseling victims, there has not been commensurate work in enhancing the sense of security.
3. The result is that complainants and witnesses to violence feel very insecure and are susceptible to coercion, blackmail and perhaps allurement.
4. The result has been that despite the effort of well meaning young lawyers, especially of the CLA and HRLN, not much progress has been made in getting convictions especially in the murder cases involving BJP political leaders.
5. In many villages, refugees have not been able to return because the threat of forcible conversion to Hinduism remains.
6. The government peace committees remain on paper, or are loaded against Christians
7. Not much headway has been made in getting the Collector to secure land for non Tribals so they can construct their houses.
8. No headway has been made at village level towards reconciliation
III. Reviews:
1. Civil Society groups have met sporadically to assess the situation, including those coming from Delhi, but there has not been much sharing of info and concepts.
2. The first major initiative was taken by Father Ajay and Dhirendra Panda to call a meeting on 3rd November, 2009 in Bhubaneswar to assess the satiation. Almost the entire political spectrum, excluding the BJP, BJD and Congress, were present, incouding women groups, tribal and Dalit groups and specialists. Several victims were also present. The author (Dr Dayal) and Advocate Sr Mary Scaria, Lansinglu Rongmei, Tehmina Ram Arora and Vrinda Grover met several times in New Delhi to discuss the legal issues.
3. As part of the follow up of the decisions and recommendations of those meeting, some activists held meetings. It was also decided to get senior advocates and observers to be present for some time in the Fast Track courts so that grounds could be prepared for intervention in superior courts.
4. As a follow-up of those meetings and after consultations with senior Bishops of Odisha of various denominations, it was felt that the Church had a major role to play at the grassroots level to reconstruct social and civil society structures to give courage and
strength to the victims. This can be done only at the homeland village level and not by outsiders from Bhubaneswar or elsewhere in the country.
5. It was therefore decided to call a meeting in Berhampur, the nearest big town, of all religious workers – Priests, pastors, catholic religious, NGO workers, catechists and others – on 7th December 2007 for a full day discussion cum workshop to discuss the
issue and to encourage the religious groups to begin grassroots work apart from the religious work and relief they have been doing.
6. It was decided to bring experts to brief the religious people on these issues.
[The author is the secretary general, All India Christian Council, New Delhi. Please send your comments and suggestions at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com]
Original Trackback URL
From John Dayal in Kandhamal: Of the 12 murder cases tried in the Fast Track courts in Phulbani, Kandhamal district of Odisha, the accused have been let off in 11 murders and convicted in just one. A member of the State Legislative assembly on the Bharatiya Janata party ticket, Manoj Pradhan, has been let off in the four cases in which he has been tried so ar. He and his henchmen have been accused by the witnesses of terrorising them, or seeking to bribe them.
A belated effort is now being made to revive civil society and the process of justice and reconciliation towards a lasting peace in Kandhamal, which remains the worst single case of persecution of Christians in South Asia. Most of the over 5,000 houses destroyed in
the December 2007 and August 24-October, 2008 mayhem remain un-built, and several thousand of the 50,000 Christian refugees are still to return home. Many cannot as they have been told they have to convert to Hinduism before they will be accepted in the villages. The threats and coercion continue till today.
The police and administration, as usual, look on. The one change is the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s acceptance, in an answer in the State legislature, that it was the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its sister organisations of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which were responsible in the anti Christian violence, the first time the government has accepted this reality. Two judicial commissions of
enquiry, plodding on in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, are yet to admit this fact.
The following is an update:
I. The Harsh Reality of Odisha and especially of Kandhamal is:
1. No one raised a voice when violence hit the Christians in December 2007 and August 2008, not even the governments.
2. Civil Society in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, if it existed, played dead, and nation was not moved.
3. Barring a few Left parties who could protest, the Political Apparatus remained silent and invisible, including so called friendly parties and groups
4. The Media was violently biased, specially the Odia Media
5. Fact Finding groups either misunderstood the causes, or just blamed either Conversions or Dalit-Tribal conflicts as the cause of the violence, and even people’s enquiry commissions including a Judge and Teesta Setalvad have yet to give their reports on the 2007 violence.
6. Post violence, civil society and peace institutions have yet to be revived.
7. Church was shattered, deeply wounded and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the violence. Barring the PILs in the Supreme Court, no real pressure on Government to construct all houses fully, pay sustenance allowances etc, and government jobs.
II. Post Violence;
1. Church is focussed on helping complete houses instead of using the law to let government complete the houses. As a result, though the Catholic Church says it will help complete 1,200 houses, Believers Church 900 Houses, Eficor about 300 houses, and CNI a similar number, another 2,500 houses remain without help. Also, without help are the 250 or so victims of the 2007 violence, especially in Barakhama, who have been left to thereon devices.
2. Although there has been much work by religious groups in distributing Holy Bibles and clothes, and in counseling victims, there has not been commensurate work in enhancing the sense of security.
3. The result is that complainants and witnesses to violence feel very insecure and are susceptible to coercion, blackmail and perhaps allurement.
4. The result has been that despite the effort of well meaning young lawyers, especially of the CLA and HRLN, not much progress has been made in getting convictions especially in the murder cases involving BJP political leaders.
5. In many villages, refugees have not been able to return because the threat of forcible conversion to Hinduism remains.
6. The government peace committees remain on paper, or are loaded against Christians
7. Not much headway has been made in getting the Collector to secure land for non Tribals so they can construct their houses.
8. No headway has been made at village level towards reconciliation
III. Reviews:
1. Civil Society groups have met sporadically to assess the situation, including those coming from Delhi, but there has not been much sharing of info and concepts.
2. The first major initiative was taken by Father Ajay and Dhirendra Panda to call a meeting on 3rd November, 2009 in Bhubaneswar to assess the satiation. Almost the entire political spectrum, excluding the BJP, BJD and Congress, were present, incouding women groups, tribal and Dalit groups and specialists. Several victims were also present. The author (Dr Dayal) and Advocate Sr Mary Scaria, Lansinglu Rongmei, Tehmina Ram Arora and Vrinda Grover met several times in New Delhi to discuss the legal issues.
3. As part of the follow up of the decisions and recommendations of those meeting, some activists held meetings. It was also decided to get senior advocates and observers to be present for some time in the Fast Track courts so that grounds could be prepared for intervention in superior courts.
4. As a follow-up of those meetings and after consultations with senior Bishops of Odisha of various denominations, it was felt that the Church had a major role to play at the grassroots level to reconstruct social and civil society structures to give courage and
strength to the victims. This can be done only at the homeland village level and not by outsiders from Bhubaneswar or elsewhere in the country.
5. It was therefore decided to call a meeting in Berhampur, the nearest big town, of all religious workers – Priests, pastors, catholic religious, NGO workers, catechists and others – on 7th December 2007 for a full day discussion cum workshop to discuss the
issue and to encourage the religious groups to begin grassroots work apart from the religious work and relief they have been doing.
6. It was decided to bring experts to brief the religious people on these issues.
[The author is the secretary general, All India Christian Council, New Delhi. Please send your comments and suggestions at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com]
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