KANDHAMAL DISTRICT, ORISSA STATE, INDIA, where Christians made homeless by the Hindu August-September 2008 pogrom are too afraid to leave the relief camps. Those who do return to their villages are finding that Hindus persecute and impose humiliating and repressive restrictions on them with impunity.
UPDATE: CHRISTIANS BEING EVICTED FROM ORISSA RELIEF CAMPS On 16 January 2009 the Orissa High Court rejected a petition from rights activist Keshamati Pradhan against the Orissa State Government's forcible closure of Kandhamal relief camps. The High Court said this was because the Supreme Court was considering Kandhamal riot cases, so Pradhan took her petition to the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court returned the petition to the High Court on 23 March, saying it wanted to hear the State's position first. Meanwhile, the Orissa State Government is declaring peace and evicting Christians from the relief camps in order to close them. The traumatised, homeless Christians are then forced to return to their villages without any protection or security. Pradhan's petition goes before the Orissa High Court on 6 April. Please pray.
ANOTHER RSS LEADER MURDERED IN ORISSA -- SITUATION 'EXPLOSIVE' On 19 March some 15 suspected Maoist rebels shot dead Hindu nationalist RSS leader Prabhat Panigrahi in Rudhiguma village, Kandhamal district. Just as in August 2008, the Hindu nationalists are saying that a 'nexus' between the Maoists and Christians is responsible. According to local Hindu nationalist BJP officials the situation in Kandhamal is 'explosive'. Meanwhile the BJP has named the Hindutva activist Ashok Sahu as its candidate from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha (Federal parliament) constituency. According to Sahu, Kandhamal is the 'model area' for Hindutva in the entire country. The Indian elections commence on 16 April. Please pray.
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