Ashwin Krushna Panchami
It’s said jungle fire and Kondh tribe’s anger are easy to ignite but difficult to extinguish. To feel the heat of uncontrolled fire, listen to the story of Fr Manoj Nayak, 33, from jungle-infested Kandhamal where Kondh tribe’s anger against Panas, mostly the converts, is raging since August 24.
Now sheltered in Archbishop’s House in Bhubaneswar, Fr Manoj hails from village Tiangia under Raikia block that had witnessed the first killings immediately after the brutal slaying of Swami Lakshamananda Sarswati.
"After killing five Christians and torching the church and houses the arsonists caught my father Anakaletha Nayak, the village Pastor and Catechist for 30 years, put axes on his neck and said you either live like a Hindu or die now as a Christian. Choice is yours. He became a ‘Hindu’ and every week he has to go to the Math (Hindu monastery) to offer prayer to deities. After I along with others fled to the state capital my father sent me a message saying ‘if you want to live accept Hinduism," says Fr Manoj.
Deep inside the jungles near Kandhamal last week Sabyasachi Panda alias Sunil, secretary of the Orissa division of the CPI (Maoists) told a group of journalists that top three leaders of Sangh Parivar-BJP leader LK Advani and VHP leaders Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia were on their ‘ht-list’.
"We will kill the trio whenever we get the chance". The ‘most wanted’ underground leader made it clear that they executed the Swami because he was responsible for the persecution and forced re-conversion of Dalit-Christians. The state Maoist Chief made it clear that they were angry with the Hindutava outfits for conducting forced re-conversion.
The re-conversion campaign amid continuing anti-Pana, anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal and Maoists’ threat to militarily intervene has clearly pushed Orissa into a dangerous zone where tribal anger was consuming everything. Last week as an expression of their uncontrolled anger not only against Panas but against the security forces, a CRPF jawan was dragged inside jungle and hacked to death.
The jawan had strayed into Sisapanga village in Raikia block to pick up chicken for dinner. The tribals have been protesting against prolonged curfew and one-sided arrest and were demanding withdrawal of security forces so that they could get a free hand to settle their score with their exploiters and killers of Swami. ‘The attackers could be trying to send a message that they can hit back at the security forces if they want to’, a police official said. Earlier, the tribals had attacked a police outpost and killed a policeman.
And this has made the government to cross its fingers and act firmly. Realising the gravity of the situation, belatedly though, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik started calling VHP and Bajrang Dal spearheading the violent movement in Kandhamal as ‘fundamentalist’ groups, organised a BJD sponsored peace march in the capital and made a spirited appeal to all section of society to help restore normalcy in the state.
"Orissa is passing through trying times and it needed united and affirmative action," he told the National Integration Council in New Delhi. But the Maoists’ ‘military intervention’ to help the Pana-Christians was causing nightmare to the administration. State Director-General of Police M. Paraharj, though ‘unaware of Maoists’ hit-list’ told India Today the state police has plans to counter extremists’ activities. They want to establish area of domination; they want to perpetually disrupt development and create chaos ‘Maoists militarisation and moves are matter of great concern’, the state police chief said.
But none of the affiliates of the Sangh Parivar were ready to listen to reasoning. While Naveen Patnaik joined the peace march, ABVP held a dharna nearby with banners that declared ‘Awake Hindus. Mind it ‘Mr Pope Benedict’ Kandhamal is not your father’s property’. Another banner read ‘Awake Hindus. Now it’s turn of Christian Terrorism’.
However, loopholes in the initial police action were reflected through the rape of a middle-aged nun, Sister Meena, attached to the pastoral centre at K. Nuagaon in Kandhamal. On August 25, two days after the killing of Swami, a mob of nearly 40 persons raided the pastoral centre and assaulted the nun. The traumatised sister went into hiding but the police acted only a month after the crime on the ground that it was too busy handling law and order situation in the state. For writer-turned Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik rape of the nun was a ‘shameful and inhuman act’. However, three suspected rapists hiding in a rice mill in Palakkad area in Kerala were hunted down by the crime branch team. The police could not proceed legally in the absence of the victim. Under the criminal law identity of the perpetrators must be established by the victim.
In the meantime, Hindutava outfit Hindu Jagran Samukhya (Samiti) chief Ashok Sahu presented a twisted version and spread a false story about nun’s medical report saying ‘it does not corroborate a case of rape. Rather it reveals the victim had a habit of regular intercourse".
But threats to BJP-VHP leaders caused turmoil. Advani took the initiative to restore peace. On the eve of crucial National Integration Council (NIC) meeting to discuss the Kandhamal situation and role of Sangh Parivar behind anti-church violence, Advani along with Swami Chidanand and Sushma Swaraj met Orissa Archbishop Raphael Thomas, Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi and North India and Fr Dominic Emanuel to work out a formula. Apparently upset over Centre’s move to use Article 356 of the Constitution to dismiss the BJD-BJP government, move to ban VHP and Bajrang Dal and warning by the red guerrillas, Advani expressed his concern over the continuing violence as well as ‘forced conversion and forced re-conversion’. The meeting resolved to initiate efforts to help restore sanity, initiate dialogue between Panas and Kondhs while Swami Chidanand to rebuild Kandhamal besides putting a full-stop on religious conversion.
Clearly Advani too thought ‘forced conversion’ was the root cause of all the trouble that, according to All India Christian Council (AICC), so far over 50 people have been slain, 300 villages have been cleansed of all Pana-Christians and 17,000 sheltered in government’s refugee camps have been told they can go home only if they become Hindus. Besides, more than 4,000 houses and more than 100 churches have been burnt. AICC said ‘Orissa seems not to be a part of India where the rule of law operates, and the Indian Constitution remains operative’.
But Advani appeal to stop conversion caused anger. Reacting to what he said, Bhubaneswar’s Vicar-General Fr Joseph Kalathil SJ said there has never been any forced conversion but now everybody was witnessing ‘forced re-conversion’. On the other hand nothing seemed to working in the region where, as a senior home department official pointed out the present turmoil was the outcome of a cocktail of social, ethnic and religious divide that helped Maoists to set their base. True. Though the age-old mutual hatred or class conflict between Kondhs and Pana-Dalits was fuelled by the killing of VHP leader Swami Lakshamananda, it has many dimensions too but most prominent was the divide between Kondh, 80 per cent of whom are Hindus and Panas, 80 per cent of whom are converted Christians. Traditionally, Panas, a sharp-minded migrant Dalit caste, were hated and treated by Kondhs as ‘untouchables’.
Britishers realised the qualities of Panas and their social conflict with Kondhs, used them as ‘Middlemen’ to collect revenue from Kondh subjects. Even salt monopoly was given to Panas. As most of Panas had converted they were favoured by the British rulers and despite being in demographic minority-about 19 per cent against 52 per cent Kondhs, they started dominating socio-economic fields. Former Panchayati Raj Minister Damodar Raut pointed out that Kandhamal presented a complicated social complexion. He said 52 per cent Kondh (Adivasi) and 16 per cent Panas were non-Christians while out of the total Christian population 80 per cent are Panas.
While over 1200 churches and 400 Christian Institutions became an eye sore for Hindutava forces, conversion indeed had been a strong issue that had helped Sangh Parivar to strengthen its roots in Orissa and helped BJP to capture power in alliance with Biju Janata Dal. The decadal census figures of Kandhamal confirm what RSS-VHP had been apprehending about ‘abnormal’ increase of Christians. While the number of Christians in the district was 1928 it rose to 75579 in 1991 but by 2001 their number jumped to 1, 17,954. Such a rise in population came handy to Hindutava forces to declare Orissa as a ‘Hindu state’.
On September 9, VHP leader Ashok Singhal had a breakfast meeting with Naveen Patnaik at his residence and later told media that he had told the chief minister: "You decide whether you want to be on the side of Hindus and return to power or be politically doomed’. He asserted ‘I told the CM out of state’s total population 3.51 crores are Hindus (including tribals) while there are only 17 lakhs Christians and Muslims’.
His belligerent attitude made it clear that Sangh Parivar would not tolerate state’s intervention in the cleansing drive now. And this cleansing includes even the converted tribals. Sitting in the YMCA relief camp, Shivram Pradhan, a Christian Kondh of village Tiangia said only Christians, whether Pana or Kondh, are being targeted, attacked and drive out of the villages. "What can you say when your neighbour turn killers," he asked.
Bhubaneswar Diocese Vicar-General and Parish Priest Fr Joseph Kalathil said the current violence was not ethnic but communal, anti-Christian political movement like the one witnessed in Gujarat. How can this be ethic when even Christian tribals are being targeted he said adding the entire population was being exploited by the business community and it were they who wanted to benefit from anti-Christian campaign.
He was not wrong. The district has a sizeable population of upper caste business community and they include Brahmins, Kandyat pr Kshetriya and Vaish. During the past 60 years they migrated from coastal region and took the leadership of the movement. Besides Kui Samaj, a powerful socio-cultural organisation of Kondhs was also close to Swami Lakhshamanda and this had angered both Panas and Maoists.
The ethnic hatred and violence in the region is really age old because Panas first ruled over Kondhs on behalf of the British rulers and took all the socio-economic benefits under the protection of the Raj and kept on grabbing their land and resources. They also mastered Kondhs’ language known as Kui that also indicated their cultural identity. Later in the post-independent India when constitution barred Converted Scheduled Castes to take benefit of reservation, they used Kui to project themselves as Tribal, obtained false caste certificates and captured jobs and other benefits.
Though many in the district feared that the ethnic war this time had reached a decisive phase and it was the culmination of running battle. The region had started burning since 1986-87 in the wake of a Rath Yatra taken out by the Swami. Official records said this had resulted in heightened communal tension and violence including burning of 18 churches.
In 1994 there were violent clashes between Panas and Kondhs. The immediate cause of clash then in which 16 people were killed, was the entry of a Pana youth into Shiv temple in village Khudutentuli on January 14 that year. The Kondh objected to it, purified the temple. Pana reacted to this and clashes ensued and ultimately Panas were at the receiving end.
One incident led to chain reactions and this led to massive mobilisation of Kondhs in April 1994 and Kondh youth kept shouting ‘Jamhi Pana tamhi hana Pana sasana chaliba nahi, Jadi chaliba niya jaliba’ (Wherever you find a Pana, kill him. Pana’s domination will not be tolerated. If it goes on, there will be fire). Panas claim that they secured the right to enter temple in 1960. However Kondh’s opposition to Pana entering Hindu temple was a challenge to Pana’s growing socio-economic power. This growing power created a sense of loss within Kondhs and threat to business community that controlled the district society.
Conflict again erupted in 1998 and continued till 1999. In many pockets Pana Christians developed majoritarian mentality in many pockets and polarisation began. Meantime according to local sources conversions kept on increasing aggressively since 1998 and by count in 2001 the number of Christians had jumped by 42,375. This despite Orissa Freedom of Religion Act 1967 that made it mandatory for person desiring to convert to seek collector’s permission. During this period there were only two legal conversions.
Though it was failure of the administration VHP started campaigning against it. It was the time some Pana youth decided to set up their own militia to face the belligerency of Hindutava forces. Slowly this group started joining the ‘People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA)’, the military wing of Maoists in the Christian dominated area bordering Gajapati district. Later in 2001 Maoists set up their base in the area and started training Pana youth to take on Hindutava militia. Since 2005 Maoists started recruiting their foot-soldiers from among Panas and widened their terror network. To test their power the Pana youth immediately after December 25, 2007 anti-Christian violence, attacked Bramini Gaon in Kandhamal-Gajapati districts and burnt down 120 Hindu houses. Later Maoists set up their base at Kotgarh near Swami’s Ashram. This was part of ‘Vashdhara Division of CPI (Maoist) (it’s named after Bansadhara River).
Then on February 15 this year Maoists attacked and looted the armoury at police training centre at Nayagarh bordering Kandhamal. After killing 14 policemen the extremists took away all arms and ammunitions and dumped the same in Gamsa forest in Kandhamal. The year has also seen some gruesome Maoists-led incidents in Koraput-Malkangiri region including blowing up off police anti-mine vehicles in which 17 Policemen were killed.
As Maoists created a red corridor between Andhra Pradesh via Koraput-Malkangiri-Sambalpur to Jharkhand Naveen Patnaik suggested creation of a ‘security corridor’ between Vijayawada and Ranchi (Jharkhand) that would pass through 12 Maoist-affected Tribal districts. But the Centre ignored it. Now with Panas joining Maoists and Maoists after killing the Swami have threatened to kill top BJP and VHP leaders, Orissa has become most turbulent zone in the country.
Source: India Today
