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Kandhamal violence: Digal deposes before probe panel

CUTTACK: Nirmal Digal, a Decon (an assistant to a Father in a Church) in Kandhamal district, on Tuesday told the Justice Basudev Panigrahy Commission of Enquiry probing into the December 2007 Kandhamal violence that he had embraced Christianity about eight years ago.

Deposing before the Commission here Mr. Digal, a native of Barasambhar village of the district and an eye witness to the attack on Churches in the locality on Christmas Day, was narrating the incident when counsels wanted to know from him that when did he embrace Christianity and whether the conversion of the religion was as per the provisions of Orissa Freedom of Religion Act-1967 and Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules-1989.

To a question during cross examination from lawyer Ajit Patnaik appearing on behalf of one Simanchal Patra, Mr. Digal said he was converted not by the use of force, inducement or by fraudulent means.

“Instead, I embraced Christianity after reading the Bible,” Mr. Digal said. When asked whether he informed the district magistrate about his conversion of the religion and sought the permission, Mr. Digal answered in negative.

Mr. Digal also refused to answer when the counsel wanted to know from him that how many persons in his village have converted their religion without the permission from the district authorities.

Quoting the provisions of Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules-1989, Mr. Patnaik said the concerned religious priest shall have to intimate the date and place of the ceremony along with the name and address of the person to be converted to the concerned district magistrate before 15 days of the said ceremony.

Mr Patnaik was of the opinion that most of the conversions in Kandhamal have not been duly acknowledged by the district magistrate and are hence illegal and blatant violation of law of the land. Necessary prosecutions should have been initiated against the violators, he suggested.

Besides Mr. Digal, two more missionaries – Sister Sujata Ekka and Sister Anjali Naik of the district – also deposed before the Commission on Tuesday and they were all cross examined by the opposite counsels and the state counsel Jagdish Chandra Das. Social activist John Digal was also allowed to cross examine the witnesses.

The Commission which began its third phase of hearing here on Monday would continue the proceedings till Thursday.

A total of 15 witnesses have been summoned to depose before the commission.

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