Christians cower from Hindu backlash in India's east (Reuters)
"The mob poured kerosene on the thatched rooftops of the village homes, then threw matches. Church spires were hacked down.
"The Hindu part of the village was untouched. For four days Digal and his stricken Christian neighbors hid in the teak forests, before being herded to a government-run relief camp.
"The violence replicated itself in village after village, as the rural Kandhamal district of Orissa convulsed from some of the worst anti-Christian attacks in India.
"At least 16 people, mostly Christians were killed, churches destroyed and 10,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes as violence spread.
"Christians responded with some -- not proportionate -- violence. Almost all the villages Reuters visited bore evidence of attacks on Christians."
See anti-caste: HINDU RIGHT LEADS MASS ATROCITY AGAINST UNTOUCHABLE CHRISTIANS IN ORISSA (January 1, 2008)
See also:
Orissa: The sangh parivar’s reach for a Hindu state by Angana Chatterji (Communalism Combat)
Interim Report on Orissa: Concerned Citizens’ Independent Fact-Finding Mission, Sept 25, 2008
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