Bhubaneswar: A Christian delegation on August 19 urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to implement the Supreme Court’s order on enhanced compensation to the survivors of the 2008 violence.
The delegation led by Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar met Patnaik in his office in the presence of some of his cabinet colleagues.
The delegation comprising leaders of various Christian denominations in the eastern Indian state urged the government to take steps for the smooth celebration of Christmas. Certain groups have called for general strike on December 25 for the past seven years, the delegation noted in a memorandum. The strike had prevented Christians in Kandhamal from attending church services.
The delegation also urged the chief minister to grant scholarships to students belonging to minority and socially economically backward communities. It noted that the scholarships given under the federal “Prerana” (inspiration) Scheme” have been denied to these students.
Archbishop John, who heads the Catholic Church in Odisha, commended the chief minister for his efforts to bring overall development to the people of the state. He urged Patnaik to provide equal constitutional rights and privileges to Christians, a miniscule minority in the state.
The delegation noted that anti-Christian violence that the state witnessed in 2007 and 2008 had severely affected the people, especially in Kandhamal district. The compensation that the state government disbursed was meager and insufficient for people to rebuild their lives.
Therefore, the Supreme Court on August2 enhanced the compensation package, awarding 300,000 rupees each to all damaged houses and 400,000 rupees each for churches and institutions.
The delegation also noted that Christians in the state capital are finding it hard to bury their dead.
According to the Christian leaders, the strike on the Christmas day aims to create communal divide and disturb the law and order situation in Odisha. They urged the government to declare such strikes as illegal since Christians could face “ferocious attacks” during such shutdowns.
Another demand from the delegation was to fill up vacancies of teachers in the minority-managed Schools.
The delegation also wants government bodies such as Ministry for Minority Affairs, National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Minorities to probe allegations of religious and other forms of discrimination and recommend ways to redress such problems.
Others in the delegation included Church of North India Bishop Surendra Kumar Nangda of Cuttack, Fathers Dibya Parichha, Pradosh, Mrutunjaya , Babu Bd Das and Suranjan Nayak and lay leader John Mohanty.