Introduction

Introduction: LESSONS FROM KHANDAMAL Communalism was a major social and political problem in our country during the colonial period; it gained yet another basis and lease of life with the partitioned independence of 1947, and has acquired a truly explosive dimension in recent years. It is significant that while there is a general abhorrence of communalism and literally none in this country would like to be described or known as a communalist, communalism persists, an ugly presence in our everyday life and a potent threat to the life and property of our people in large parts of the country and to their struggle for a better life everywhere. Lessons from Kandhamal signify a vicious political turn that indicates that communalism as a socio-political project has come to stay in our society as an ideology and as a political practice that combines communal terror with mass mobilisation for the capture of power. The epitome of the process was latest carnage in Kandhamal A serious consequence of this communal pogrom was the undermining of democratic processes and institutions of a modern secular state by the communal forces in the country. The scale of organised brutal violence in a most macabre of forms that engulfed tribal belt of Kandhamal reveals the prevailing deep religious divide. Actions of mobs well armed with weapons and explosives for a “search and destroy mission”, selectively targeting a particular community cannot be treated as violence from the fringe. The execution of this “search and destroy policy” with precision by the Sangh Parivar under the protection of the ruling party and with the complicity of the State machinery of a democratically elected government makes explicit the fascist character and the modus operandi of the perpetrators of the carnage. The sequence of events that took place in the aftermath of Kandhamal incident shows that the communal brigade of the Sangh Parivar - the perpetrators of the crime - was eagerly waiting for an excuse to carry out the vicious pogrom.. A worrisome social trend from the lessons emerging from the Kandhamal communal pogrom, among many, is the increasing use of violence as instrument of communalisation of civil society and the unfolding of fascist agenda by the communal forces. The incidents in Kandhamal are not isolated. They have consequences for the state and for the rest of the country since every time such ghastly violence occurs the communal polarisation is further deepened with social and physical ghettoisation. The cherished ideals of our communitarian bond, the shared history and memory of our socio-cultural evolution that provided us with the common identity, Indian, have now given way to exclusion and culture of hatred. The vision of the Grand India Project and the secular imagination of the national movement today are under siege by fascist religious groups with violence as a means of religious assertion. The clash between secular democracy and communal agenda defined the post-Independence politics in the country. The clash between the two is also rooted in the ways they envision modern India. The secular vision is based on an idea of India that finds strength in the country’s diversities, inherent in its composite character developed through religious and cultural interactions and synthesis over the years; and also invents ways to find newer articulations that make the expansion of a socio-political space for a multi-religious and multi-cultural society possible with all religious groups having equal rights within a secular democratic framework of modern India. The realisation of this project is contingent on political practices that would enable all citizens to exercise their democratic rights irrespective of religion, caste and gender. Thus, the complex of secularisation cannot be located in any one single arena. It is a comprehensive articulation of newer social relationships, newer social equality. Secular ideology upheld new values for organising social life, for opposing oppressive value systems, obscurant ideologies, caste, and gender hierarchies. These values created a secular ethos and in essence became the organising principles of the modern state Set against this vision is the dream project of the communal fascists, a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ [Hindu Nation State] deeply rooted in ethnic and religious nationalism, aggressive militarism, acts of violence that seek to purge or subordinate all other religious communities to create a monolithic ‘Hindu’ bloc. This fascist agenda pursued by the communal forces forms the matrix on which the political programme of communalism is constructed identifying those outside the Hindutva fold as the “other”, the enemy. Loss of shared Kandhamal Religions and Cultural Heritage The lived experience of communities and groups with different identities living together in social harmony, evolved through religious and cultural interactions and synthesis over the years, constituted India’s social and cultural ethos. The religious discourses, dialogues and debates in which different religions participated not only enriched each religion but also created mutual respect for each other’s faith and cultural practices. Shared religio-cultural heritage provided the interactive and creative space that made the expansion of socio-political space for a multi-religious, multi- cultural and pluralistic society possible with all religious groups having equal rights within a secular democratic framework of modern India. Diversity was an essential part of India’s identity. This diversity of religions, ethnicity, culture and communities were the characteristic feature of India’s composite character. The concept of secularism and the spirit of democracy were the two conceptual instruments recognised as essential in establishing a multi-religious, multi-caste and poly-ethnic pluralistic Indian society. On the basis values like equality, freedom, justice, political rights were explicitly articulated as fundamental values for organising social life. These principles and values created a secular ethos and in essence became the foundational basis of Modern State. It also affirmed that religious freedom and practices were deemed essential dimensions of a vibrant civil society. What is to be done The frequent occurrence of communal conflict and violence poses serious challenges and severe test for secular forces. It is only through a proactive, continuous and sustained engagement with a long term anti communal initiatives in theory and practice that can retrieve secular space and seize the initiative from the communal forces. This implies the ability to debate differences creatively while working together on the basis of shared secular principles. Communalism is an issue that needs continuous study analysis and debate to clarify our vision and to get out of simplistic traps. The people of Kandhamal in-spite of the trail of violence, hatred. bigotry and unbelievable sufferings, particularly for women and children, their indomitable courage in the face of adversity is a sign of their determination to resist the communal agenda of Hindutva politics. It also provides the most crucial signs of hope that these deeply anti-human, anti communitarian forces can ultimately be defeated. The dossier on Kandhamal contains analytical articles and narratives of the gruesome violence that had engulfed the tribal belt of Kandhamal. We hope that our readers will find this dossier a useful contribution to the continuing debate necessary to clarify and arrive at a better understanding of the various dimensions of “communal politics” in the country and its impact on State and Civil Society. As well as lesson learned from the communal violence in Kandhamal will serve as a guide to face the challenges and threats of communal fascist agenda. I sincerely thank Durang Basu Mullick for the efforts she has put in for collecting materials, editing and compiling them in to a Dossier Ajit Muricken Vikas Adhyayan Kendra Table of contents: 1) Background: History of communal Violence in Orissa 2) Chronology of communal violence in India: What is happening to Christians in India? 3) Christianity in Orissa 4) Tribals are not Hindus 5) Christanity in India 6) The Right to propagate Religion 7) Spread and role of Sangh Parivar 8) Swami Lakshmananda’s murder 9) What is happening to Christians in Orissa? 10) Report of THE NCM NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR MINORITIES 11) Response of the Government: 12) Role of the state-police: What was the Police doing? 13) Memorandum submitted to the Chief Justice( Orissa High Court) by the association of Victims of communal violence: 14) Hindutva’s claims on Land 15) Reservation claims 16) Role of the Judiciary 17) Critique of the Communal Violence Bill: January 02, 2010. Communal Violence Bill: How Useful To Victims? 18) Conversion Myth 19) Rehabilitation( Housing) of the victims 20) Food supply 21) Child 22) Role of Maoists 23) Peace Initiatives 24) The Role of Media 25) Final questions: need of the hour – a view by Hemant Naik 26) Some recommendations made by Angana Chatterji: 27) Annexure-1 Burning Case studies of the people who have sacrificed their lives for the Christian faith. 28) Tables: Background: History of communal Violence in Orissa: Cultural domination started after the 1970’s with the process of Sanskritisation by the religious radical forces. This process started from Chakapad and Kandhamal which have experienced a series of well planned attacks against the people of the religious minority community mostly from tribal and Dalit communities including

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