Bhubaneswar, Aug 25, 2020: People who survived the India’s worst anti-Christian violence 12 years ago now plan a webinar to show their solidarity for those who have been targeted for their faith.

“The purpose of this virtual webinar is to understand the violations against the Freedom of Religion and Belief in Indian context and to develop a deeper understanding of the issues and policies connected to it,” says a press note from the organizers of the August 26 webinar.

The program is organized by the Survivors of Kandhamal Association, National Solidarity Forum and Justice Coalition of Religious North and East India.

Since 2009, people of Kandhamal and other parts of our country have organized August 25 as the annual Kandhamal Day.

At the invitation of the National Solidarity Forum, several prominent leaders, academicians and activists have visited Kandhamal to show solidarity at different times. Many international organizations have also extended their solidarity.

“It is important that we remember and observe Kandhamal Day on August 26, 2020, and support the demands of the victims and survivors struggling for justice in Kandhamal these twelve years,” the press note said.

The webinar is expected to provide a forum to share and learn the struggle for justice of those who have been targeted for their faiths. It will also join those working for peace, justice and harmony in the world.

“It will also promote and strengthen the collaboration, partnership and network at local, national, regional and global level,” the organizers claimed.

The video conference will be held for two hours from 5:30 pm (India Time) on August 26.

The Concept Paper
1. BACKGROUND
There was an attack on Christians in Kandhamal, Eastern Odisha in two consecutive years of 2007 & 2008. Barely after eight days of Indian Independence Day, had the country witnessed the organized attack, the biggest ones in the history of Christian community for their religion & belief in last three centuries, spreading to different parts of Odisha and other states as well.
It is quite a tragedy that after 12 years there are a couple of hundreds of families are not able to return back to their ancestral villages as they fear for their lives. This has toll on their lives. The displaced ones live in new colonies without access to the resources for their life and livelihood. There are also displaced and threatened migrants, who left their home district in search of shelter & livelihood. The widows, the families of those who killed and others are fighting without proper livelihood support and without witness protection mechanism in place. They have been fighting on three fronts: livelihoods, court cases and fear of being attacked again. How long they would sustain. COVID 19 has impacted them in vicious manner.
2. NATURE & RESULT OF VIOLENCE
Over 395 churches and worship places which belonged to the Adivasi Christians and Dalit Christians were destroyed, around 6,500 houses were destroyed, over 100 people were killed, over 40 women were subjected to rape, molestation and humiliation and several educational, social service and health institutions were destroyed and looted. More than 75,000 people have been displaced. Several cases of forced conversion to Hinduism have been reported.
3. MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE SYSTEM
During the communal violence in Kandhamal, there have been more than 3,300 complaints, but only 820 odd FIRs were registered. The rest of the complaints were not even registered. Among these complaints, only 518 cases were charge-sheeted. The remaining cases were treated as false reports. And out of these 518 cases, 247 cases disposed off. The rest of the cases are pending before the sessions and magistrate’s courts. And among those cases which have been disposed off, many are already acquitted. According to study conducted by Supreme Court Adv. Vrinda Grover and Law Prof Saumya Uma, it is reported that the conviction rate is as low as 5.13% of the chargesheeted cases. If you take complaints as a yardstick of justice process, it is just around 1% only. None of the criminals responsible for destruction are in jail today. The murderers, rapists, looters and destroyers are today running scot free. However, seven innocent persons were in jail for 11 years; have come on a bail with fabricated cases.
On August 2, 2016, the Supreme Court led by Justice TS Thakur and Justice Uday Lalit mentioned in their judgement that the quantum and scope for compensation was not satisfactory and found that the court also found it disturbing that the offenders of law were not booked and ordered to review 315 cases of communal violence that were filed. The cases are still not yet reopened. There are houses, churches, institutions and volunteer organisations, whose properties were destroyed, were never found in the compensation list. There are many yet to receive the compensation of the announced compensation as there are no proactive measures.
4. RESPONSE
Since 2009, people of Kandhamal and other parts of our country have been organizing 25th August as Kandhamal each year. On the call of National Solidarity Forum, prominent leaders, academicians and activists have visited Kandhamal to show solidarity in different times. Many international organisations have extended their solidarity as well.
This year on August 25, 2020 will be the completion of twelve years of Kandhamal communal violence and are still struggling for Peace, Justice and Harmony. It is important that we remember and observe Kandhamal Day on August 26, 2020 and support the demands of the victims and survivors struggling for justice in Kandhamal these twelve years.
5. THE DEMANDS OF THE SURVIVORS:

• Implementation of Supreme Court Verdict of August 2nd, 2016: Reopen of 315
Closed/acquitted cases of violence and completion of compensation support
• Constitute a Task Force to monitor the cases, Initiate & ensure Witnesses Protection Mechanism, Ensure Police officers for free and fair investigation to reopen the cases & appoint impartial and special prosecutors for the cases
• Enhance up to 15 lakhs for the death compensation in line of Muzzaffanagar violence cases. Enlisted the dead those who are not listed in death list for compensation and for criminal justice delivery system
• Book for both state and non-state actors’ perpetrators involved in the communal violences; institute special inquiry into the district and police administration, who are in nexus with the communal forces
• Announce special package for repair and reconstruction of houses as recommended in a study by former UN Special Rapporteur, Miloon Kothari up to 5 lakh and compensate those who lost their businesses. Enlist those who are not missed out by acts of commissions and omissions for swift compensation packages.
• Immediately establish Odisha Minority Commission
• Facilitate Minority schemes and scholarship in time bound manner and hold the officials responsible for any lapses and delays in implementations
• Ensure minority community presence in important administrative machinery to ward off baized decision as well as for harmonious and participatory decision processes
• Scrap Odisha anti-conversion law and Presidential Order 1950 para 3 to make religion neutral and delink it from affirmative action
• Constitute Citizens and community interface with the administration for effectively combating the communal forces

6. INTERNATIONAL VEDIO CONFERENCE
On this occasion, we as the Kandhamal Survivors Association in collaboration with the National Solidarity Forum, a network of over 70 organisations in India, and Justice Coalition of North & East India organizing the International Video Conference this year to mark the Kandhamal Day. This Conference is first of its kind. The organisers intend to promote Indian democratic & pluralistic values as pronounced by the Constitution of India and good practices.
The Main Objectives are:
• To share the struggles for Justice with the International platform.
• To promote and strengthen collaboration and network at local, national, regional and International levels.