Chambria N. Brawley
11: 25am
The Hindu-Christian violence that I have been reporting on the past couple of weeks has continued to spread, despite reports of it dying out. The violence is now wreaking havoc on law enforcement as well. On Tuesday, a policeman was fatally shot by a mob of approximately 500 tribal individuals, when the police station was raided. Upon the storm that took place in Gochappada, tribals marched on Balandapada, where they would torch the police outpost as well. Not to mention the alarming number of churches and prayer halls in the area which were demolished. These Anti-Christian tribal groups which consisted of men and women are outraged as a result of conversions. More than likely tribals focus turned to toward the police because of several arrests which had been made in an attempt to contain or alleviate the violence against Christians within the area. Prior to the attacks, barricades were once again set, which disabled necessary aid. The majority of the officers were able to flee, although, there was some that were less fortunate. Thus far, over 250 people have been arrested in Kandhmal in connection with the “communal violence.” In Bhubaneswar, chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other government officials decided to commission about 43 companies of CRPF in the state, 26 of those companies will be stationed in Kandhmal alone. The stabbing of 10 individuals and fires set by religious fundamentalists in Mangalore has led to the arrest of roughly 175 people, in which over 50 of those were in connection with police headquarters and church disruptions. In response, the city has been shut down and a night curfew has been implemented.
I think one of the things that we as Americans most often take for granted is our rights of freedom. The Christians in India are being persecuted for their religious beliefs and there is relatively little that has been done to deter such violations. I know that there are radical groups and opinions within the US, but it is rare that you hear or see disdain between different religious groups. Yeah, there is controversy but typically it does not give way to violence. I know personally that after reading these articles the past couple of weeks that I have become more appreciative of the things that I do have and I encourage you to not allow yourself to take things for granted anymore as well. After all, you never know when you may be forced to fight for something you believe in.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/No_letup_in_Orissa_Karnataka_violence/articleshow/3488484.cms
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