Orissa Burning

The violence continues as incidents of burning of churches and assaults on Christians continue to be reported by the media. The VHP or the RSS or the Bajrang Dal whichever organization doing this has to be punished. In 1999, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death by Dara Singh. The accused was sentenced to death but the punishment was commuted to a life sentence. It is indeed shameful that a judiciary and an overzealous media ensure that a leading actor accused of shooting a deer is given the proper punishment, but someone who kills people or rapes women, manages to get away with life imprisonments and hefty fines.

The Orissa government is a mute witness to the atrocities happening across the state. Yesterday 45, 000 Christian organizations observed a token strike and prayed for the people who were killed in the violence.

Is there no end to communal violence in India?

Either it is the Gujjars in Rajasthan, or the attack against North Indians by Raj Thackeray and his sainiks in Maharashtra, or it is the killing of migrant Biharis in Assam. One incident after the other heightens the communal tension leading to violence and destruction.

Hope sanity prevails and the perpetrators of the violence are arrested and punished properly.