IN THE NAME of religion, we have I e so many killers in our country, slaughtering thousands
of innocent people and even kids are not spared. The reason seems to be quite evident. The victims do not belong to the religion they profess nor do they adhere to the cultural norms of the ‘majority’. I can cite several instances of religious homicides. But the one I would like to focus on is the violence at Kandhamal, a district in Orissa that is largely inhabited by the Kandha tribe and continues to reel under the weight of communal tension because of the social rift between the converted Panas and the downtrodden of the Hindu community. The assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a member of the central advisory committee of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stirred the month long violence against Christian tribals.

According to a leading magazine in India, the death toll is enormous. It reported that 558 houses and 17 places of Protestants worship have been burnt in riots causing more than 12,539 people to flee their homes and take shelter at ten relief camps. The Swami initiated the key step to prevent the conversion of Hindu tribes to Dalit Christians and even made it sure that the Kandhas are reconverted to Hinduism. Swami Laxmanananda had received an anonymous letter of threat prior to the day he was murdered. The supporters of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal wasted no time in pointing an accusing finger at the Dalit Christians and holding them responsible for the assassination.

Till the Orissa police suspected the Maoists group behind the act, the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists had set many people on fire. Houses were burnt and along with it people were also burnt alive. The Hindus in Orissa strongly feel that the tribals are lured by the missionaries
who they think and aim to expand their population at any cost. On the other side, there are converted Christians, who say that it was the ostracism they faced in their community, which forced them to take up a religion, which is originally not theirs. This sort of violence is not new in any part of our country. An action by one party creates predictable disruptions almost everyday. And the ones who implement it are the youth. After being mentally battered by the
vicious circle of corruption, the unemployed rural youth are turning to criminal pursuit with the
patronage of political parties. These party workers are little better than the terrorists, as they have got their objective for the country, in the form of religion, but the too are doing the same thing, which we abhor about terrorists. They brutally kill people who have no idea about
the way; they are harming any section of the society.

Sensitive issues like religious conversions are supposed to be handled by the government. Every state government has got a policy on conversion for its citizens, which hardly provide any record of people converting into other religions. Communal violence in Orissa is not new. The state has always been ignored by the media. The local media takes a biased stand, according to the political will at the centre. The scheduled tribes seem to have a problem with the education and a better life sought by the converted Panas. They accuse them for availing the reservations secured to them by the constitution, without letting the government know about their converted status.

India has been invaded by Mughals, Britishers and various other communities. None of themcould convert the Hindus into their religion in large numbers. Suddenly there are tremors as the religion’s future is at stake. Whichever side of the fence you are sitting on, we must realize that ours is a secular country and every religion emphasizes on preaching love. People would adopt a religion which assures them social freedom. Many converted Panas, SCs and STs have reconverted to Hinduism, once they realized the ethnicity and reality of their religion. The ones who have not realized it are still happy being Christians.

With the elections approaching, this issue is being prolonged by the Hindu activists. The leaders of VHP say that, “it is an emotional and spontaneous reaction of people to the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.”
If this is the opinion of people, who have been elected by us, I do not know where our country is heading to.