By Matters India Reporter
Kandhamal: A group of Church leaders, civil society members, human rights activists and social workers has called for the implementation of the Supreme Court order on compensation to the survivors of Kandhamal violence.
The made the demand when they met Kandhamal Collector Brundha D on October 21 in the district headquarters of Phulbani.
The collector assured the group that that she would ensure the distribution at the earliest as the compensation amount has come to the district.
She also promised to address other Christian minority issues and concerns the delegation raised.
Regarding those not listed for compensation, she asked the group to approach the state administration.
The group has decided to meet the state officials and minority minister of Odisha government soon.
The team submitted to the collector a memorandum addressed to the Odisha chief secretary and the Odisha government.
The Supreme Court order came on a petition filed by the then Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in 2008 seeking relief and justice for the Kandhamal victims.
Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit delivered the judgment on August 2, 2016. Archbishop Cheenath died 12 days later.
The case related to an unprecedented violence against Christians in Kandhamal district. Nearly 100 people were killed and 56,000 rendered homeless during the violence that started on August 24, 2008 and lasted for nearly four months. The spark was lit by the assassination of Swami Lashmananada Saraswati, a Hindu religious leader who had lived in Kandhamal for decades mainly to oppose Christian missionaries.
Maoist outlaws had claimed the murder, but Hindu radical groups blamed Christians for it.
The violence also destroyed 300 churches, institutions and more than 600 homes. Some people were burnt alive for not accepting Hindu religion.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court said that the quantum and scope of compensation provided for a few categories of damages was not satisfactory.
The apex court directed the Odisha government to pay in case of death 300,000 rupees in addition to what was given by the state and federal governments.
In case of serious injuries, it ordered 30,000 rupees additional compensation. For simple wounds the apex first time ordered compensation of 10,000 rupees.
The court found it quite disturbing that in 315 cases of communal violence filed no offenders or quantum of wrong-doing could be detected. It, therefore, asked the state government to review the cases and book the offenders.
The Supreme Court also found as odd that only 78 of the 362 cases that had completed trials resulted in conviction. It asked the state government to reopen the trials and ensure justice.
The group’s memorandum asked the authorities to implement the judgment at the earliest. “More than nine years have passed since the communal violence and the suffering people after a long drawn judicial battle are finally awaiting the implementation,” it added.
The group also said the implementation of the court order would act as a balm on the Christian community of Kandhamal who has suffered long because of the man-made communal disaster in 2007 and 2008. Kindly facilitate the review of the decision of the life convictions and the release of seven innocent Christians convicted of murder cases in Laxmanananda murder cases,” it said.
Seven Christians are languishing in jail for swami’s murder.
The delegations included Paul Pradhan, atribal Christian leader, Klesha Pradhan, general secretary of Kandhamal Church of North India, Reverend Sushant Nayak , moderator of the Kandhamal Baptist Church, Bipra Charan Nayak, president of Kandhamal Shanti, Nyaya and Sadhbhavana Samittee and Fathers Ajaya Kumar Singh, human rights activist and social worker, and Fr. Augustine Singh representing the Catholic Church.