Orissa observes Christmas in harmony

Christmas passed off peacefully amid tight security in the tribal belt of Kandhamal district in Orissa. The district that witnessed a worst communal violence recently, claiming lives of over 40, observed the festival in a low key.

Many Christians who are living in relief camps attended prayers and several Hindus too joined their Christian brothers in a candle-lit procession and cake cutting ceremony to mark this holy day.

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The state administration ensured all possible security arrangements and no untoward incident was reported on the day. Outside Kandhamal, people of some other sensitive areas visited churches, attended midnight prayers, and both the communities embraced each other with warm greetings.

Earlier during August and September this year, a large scale religious clash between Hindus and Christians wrote a distasteful chapter in India’s long history. Violence broke out following the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananand Saraswati on August 23. Though Maoists said they killed Swami, VHP blamed Christians.

During the month long violence, in Kandhamal alone 38 people were killed. The brutal reprisal was flamed to other districts as well, causing a huge law and order problem. As a result, the central government had to deploy security forces in the violence-affected regions.

Even after the passing off three months of the incident, about 8,000 people are still living in government-run relief camps as they were driven out from their home by violent mob. Schools, hospital, religious places, homes and community centres were burnt down, and that’s why both Central and State administrations were of the fear of any recurrence of such incident on Christmas.

Home Minister P Chidambaram too had called on Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure peace and security and a chopper was sent to Orissa for surveillance in Kandhamal and other sensitive areas.