Sandeep Mishra TNN
Bhubaneswar: Caught in the vortex of conversion and reconversion, Kandhmal’s agony is manifold. Like most other tribal-dominated districts, this southern Orissa district, too, grapples with poverty, deprivation, illiteracy and malnutrition. But what is most disturbing is the increasing ethnic and communal schism that has turned it into a tinderbox. Political one-upmanship and entry of Maoists have only made matters worse. Simmering since long, Kandhmal experiencing communal conflagrations — like in the present instance or last December — isn’t surprising at all. In fact, communal violence was waiting to happen. And at the genesis of this lies the divide between the tribal Kandhs and Panas (an SC community). What was more a competition for economic resources between the two communities over a century ago, has with time assumed religious dimensions due to Christian missionaries and Sangh Parivar outfits. Over the years, a many Panas have embraced Christianity, while a significant mass of Kandhs entered the Hindu fold. And taking advantage of the religious polarization, missionaries and the Sangh Parivar have in the last few decades been playing the politics of proselytisation. While Kandhmal (formerly Phulbani district) has been split along ethnic lines for decades, the problem took a turn for the worse in the early 1990s. “The ST central list was amended with enlistment of three more groups: Kui, Kuvi, Kuee. A lot of Panas also speak Kui language and they, too, started demanding ST status. This was a calculated demand as ST status would entail government benefits even for those Panas who had embraced Christianity,” a researcher says. Expectedly, this wasn’t acceptable to the Kandhs, who feared the Panas would corner the benefits. Matters turned ugly when delimitation of constituencies changed Kandhmal Lok Sabha seat’s reserved status from SC to ST, and the Panas resumed their demand for tribal tag. “An aggressive drive for illegal conversion by Christian missionaries is the root cause of the tension in Kandhmal,” said VHP state general secretary G P Rath. The president of All India Christian Council (Orissa chapter), P R Paricha, says: “The Sangh Parivar is making baseless allegations. Preaching is done in tune with the Constitution. Nobody can deny that the missionary has done a lot of good in Kandhmal.” ‘Call out army’ Mumbai: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Mumbai, has appealed to the Centre to deploy the army in the jungles of Orissa, where hundreds of Christians have taken refuge after being allegedly terrorised by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. “It is a shocking and shameful situation,” the cardinal told TOI on Wednesday. “The state government and the police have failed to build confidence among the minorities.” TNN
Bhubaneswar: Caught in the vortex of conversion and reconversion, Kandhmal’s agony is manifold. Like most other tribal-dominated districts, this southern Orissa district, too, grapples with poverty, deprivation, illiteracy and malnutrition. But what is most disturbing is the increasing ethnic and communal schism that has turned it into a tinderbox. Political one-upmanship and entry of Maoists have only made matters worse. Simmering since long, Kandhmal experiencing communal conflagrations — like in the present instance or last December — isn’t surprising at all. In fact, communal violence was waiting to happen. And at the genesis of this lies the divide between the tribal Kandhs and Panas (an SC community). What was more a competition for economic resources between the two communities over a century ago, has with time assumed religious dimensions due to Christian missionaries and Sangh Parivar outfits. Over the years, a many Panas have embraced Christianity, while a significant mass of Kandhs entered the Hindu fold. And taking advantage of the religious polarization, missionaries and the Sangh Parivar have in the last few decades been playing the politics of proselytisation. While Kandhmal (formerly Phulbani district) has been split along ethnic lines for decades, the problem took a turn for the worse in the early 1990s. “The ST central list was amended with enlistment of three more groups: Kui, Kuvi, Kuee. A lot of Panas also speak Kui language and they, too, started demanding ST status. This was a calculated demand as ST status would entail government benefits even for those Panas who had embraced Christianity,” a researcher says. Expectedly, this wasn’t acceptable to the Kandhs, who feared the Panas would corner the benefits. Matters turned ugly when delimitation of constituencies changed Kandhmal Lok Sabha seat’s reserved status from SC to ST, and the Panas resumed their demand for tribal tag. “An aggressive drive for illegal conversion by Christian missionaries is the root cause of the tension in Kandhmal,” said VHP state general secretary G P Rath. The president of All India Christian Council (Orissa chapter), P R Paricha, says: “The Sangh Parivar is making baseless allegations. Preaching is done in tune with the Constitution. Nobody can deny that the missionary has done a lot of good in Kandhmal.” ‘Call out army’ Mumbai: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Mumbai, has appealed to the Centre to deploy the army in the jungles of Orissa, where hundreds of Christians have taken refuge after being allegedly terrorised by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. “It is a shocking and shameful situation,” the cardinal told TOI on Wednesday. “The state government and the police have failed to build confidence among the minorities.” TNN
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