Nun burned to death in Orissa, violence spreads

BHUBANESWAR (ICNS): A Catholic nun was burned to death and priest was hospitalized with serious injuries as violence spread against Christians in Orissa, where Hindu groups accuse Christians of killing an aged spiritual leader.
Fanatic Hindu groups have attacked a convent and orphanage in Sambalpur diocese and killed the nun and attacked a priest, said Father Gyan Prakash Kujur, Jesuit mission in charge of Orissa. The priest told the Indian Catholic that a mob surrounded the convent and threw explosives in to the house. They then set the orphanage on fire with the nun and a visiting priest locked inside. He said the nun, whose name he could not verify, died of burns.Police reportedly hospitalized the priest with severe burn injuries. Mob also attacked Bhulbani parish church, breaking its gate, windows panes and doors. The sameway fanatics mobs also attacked Baliguda church and convent, Father Kujur said adding that more details are waited. The violence against Christians began after a Hindu religious leader Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed Saturday's night along with his four associates by suspected communist rebels in Kandhamal district. Hindu leaders say Christian groups are behind the attack in the district, which witnessed fierce Hindu violence on Christians last December. The spreading violence is seen as retaliation against the killing. Orissa witnessed Hindu-Christian violence last December. Swami Laxmanananda has been spearheading a campaign against Christian missioners in the state for decades. He also led a re-conversion movement, which aimed to bring back Hindus who joined Christianity. A Maoist group named, the People’s Liberation Revolutionary Group, has claimed responsibility for killing Saraswati . Its leader, identified as Azad, called up a newspaper office and said they killed the Swami because he mixed “religion with politics.” But rejecting that claim, BJP state leader Suresh Pujari said Saraswati waskilled by Christians. "Swamiji was opposed to religious conversion taking place in various parts of Orissa. Those opposed to Swamiji's anti-conversion activities killed him," he said. (The Indian Catholic)