Bail for Christian convicted in Kandhamal case seeds hope

The Kandhamal anti-Christian violence claimed more than 90 lives and wounded hundreds of people.

Kandhamal:  Odisha High Court’s granting interim bail to Gornath Chalanseth, one of seven Christians convicted in the Kandhamal case, has given hope for justice to the community.

Chalanseth and his fellow defendants were convicted under a “fast-track” legal process for the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and his four disciples in August 2008.

India’s Christian community believes that the convictions were unjust, a way of distracting attention away from the failure of Odisha authorities in tandem with militant Hindu movements to protect the Christian minority.

Although Maoists claimed responsibility for the Swami’s killing, Hindu-affiliated groups carried out a well-orchestrated rampage that lasted several weeks and left over 100 Christians dead, destruction of around 8,500 homes, the torching and destruction of nearly 395 churches, the displacement of 56,000 Christians, and at least two cases of sexual assault.

Chalanseth, 42, granted bail for three weeks to attend to his ailing wife, walked out of prison on March 31 accompanied by family members.

“This gives a glimmer of hope to my own struggle for justice,” said Servite Sister Meena Barwa, who was raped during the anti-Christian violence.

“Sustainable peace in Kandhamal depends on justice,” Barwa said, “and we must continue our struggle for justice even in the face of hostilities and intimidation. While it’s only interim bail for three weeks, yet, it brings me hope that I too will receive justice.”

“This is a very positive signal, importantly, innocents cannot be incarcerated with culprits for eternity, we are hopeful for our other cases, and we will not lose hope,” said Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar and Sister Meena’s uncle.

Father Ajaya Kumar Singh, a Catholic priest who heads the Odisha Forum for Social Action told Crux that this is a shot in the arm for others falsely accused in the murder case.

“This is the first bail in the Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case, and it is the first time in seven years that an innocent accused is getting interim bail. I am hopeful, that now there is some chance that the others too, may be granted bail, or at least interim bail,” he said.

According to Fr Singh, the prospects for change in the area are “bleak and grim,” arguing that not only was the violence sectarian in nature, but the failure of the justice system continues to reflect the power of radical Hindu outfits in the state.

To date, there have been convictions in only two murder cases arising from the Kandhamal violence, and while ten of those convicted have been given life sentences, they are all out on bail.

Source: Crux now