on August 24, 2008, one of the most brutal attacks against Christians in recent history broke out in Orissa, India after Hindu extremist organizations blamed Christians for the murder of one of their leaders, Laxmanananda Saraswati.
The killings touched off a wave of religous violence throughout Orissa state, much of it directed at Christians. The violent uprising lasted more than seven weeks, leaving a swath of bloodshed and despair in its wake. During the violence in Kandhamal alone, more than 300 villages were ransacked. It is estimated that more than 120 Christians were murdered, some of them dragged from their homes and burned. At least 252 churches and Christian institutions were destroyed, more than 52,000 people fled for their lives into nearby forests, and some 6,000 houses were burned or destroyed.
Eight men were convicted of murdering Saraswati and four companions at his hermitage in the rural heart of Orissa state. As a mob of about 50 people surrounded the hermitage, several armed members of the crowd opened fire. The prosecution claimed that the accused men killed Saraswati because they believed he was converting Christians to Hinduism. "The judge convicted them purely on the basis of circumstantial evidence and the deposition of witnesses," reporters said.
Five years after the violent events, the seven Christians have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Saraswati. There was little evidence warranting the convictions, and the accused and their lawyer are planning to appeal. An eighth defendant, Pulari Rama Rao, a leader in India's Communist Naxalite movement, also received a life sentence.
Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, said the story was heartbreaking. "Seven people have already lost five precious years of their lives in prison without a fair trial. And thousands of other Christians who survived the most brutal wave of attacks are still living in fear."
Six days after handing down the men's sentences, the same Phulbani court, cited a lack of evidence in their acquittal of five defendants accused of burning down a house during the 2008 violence that followed Saraswati's murder. George said that such decisions were evidence of the prejudice that exists against India's Christian minority.
