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Friday, Aug 29, 2008
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A shame on nation: PM

Anita Joshua

Assures church leaders of compensation to affected families

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday described the ongoing violence in Orissa as a “shame on the nation” and is understood to have assured a delegation of church leaders that Rs. 3 lakh would be given as compensation to the families of those killed.

Briefing mediapersons after meeting the Prime Minister, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) spokesman Babu Joseph said that besides Dr. Singh’s compensation promise, funds would be released from the Prime Ministers’ Relief Fund for providing relief and rehabilitation to all those affected by the violence.

However, no formal announcement was forthcoming from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as the Model Code of Conduct is in place due to the urban local bodies’ elections in Orissa.

Members of the delegation said no fresh announcement was required on this count as there was a provision by which this compensation could be given to victims of such violence.

A PMO statement said the Prime Minister spoke to the Orissa Chief Minister after the meeting and requested him to take immediate steps to restore normality.

Dr. Singh also advised the Chief Minister to provide immediate relief to the affected people, particularly children.

Led by the CBCI, the eight-member delegation urged Dr. Singh to order an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the entire chain of events. They also demanded adequate deployment of the Army or paramilitary forces in the affected and sensitive areas to prevent further attacks.

Their contention was that the local police were unable to control the situation.

Other demands include impartial and proper assessment of the damage to property; be it establishments of the various churches or assets of individuals.

Call for punitive action

Besides demanding adequate compensation to the families of those killed or injured in the violence, the joint memorandum also sought punitive action against those responsible for creating communal disharmony.

While condemning the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmananda Saraswati and five others this past Saturday, the signatories to the joint memorandum said it was unfortunate that some organisations were blaming the Christian community for the murders.

Further, according to them, the State government failed to protect Christians and other innocent people.

“Families fleeing”

Stating that Christians in Orissa were living in fear, they pointed out that the perpetrators of the attack on the community were threatening members of the community despite the State government’s assurance of protection. Having lost faith in the police machinery, Christian families were fleeing their homes, the Prime Minister was told.

Closed

All Christian educational institutions will remain closed on Friday as a mark of protest.

The call for closure of all educational institutions for a day was first given by the CBCI, and other denominations, including the National Council of Churches of India, the Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Fellowship of India decided to join the protest action.

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