Remains of a church property burnt down during communal violence in Orissa in August 2008
Date
25 August 2008 – 28 August 2008 (4 days)
Location
Kandhamal district, Orissa
Caused by
Assassination of Lakshmanananda Saraswati
Methods
Church arson, mass killing, looting
Resulted in
See aftermath
Casualties and damages
Death(s)
39 – 500+
Injuries
18,000
40+ women sexually assaulted
Damages
395+ churches burnt down or demolished
60,000 – 75,000+ left homeless
5,600 – 6,500+ houses ransacked or burnt down
600+ villages ransacked
Part of a series on
Violence against Christians in India
Incidents
1998 attacks on Christians in southeastern Gujarat
1998 attacks on Christians in Dangs district
1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence
1999 Ranalai violence
2007 Christmas violence in Kandhamal
2008 Kandhamal violence
2008 Kandhamal nun gang rape case
2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka
2021 anti-Christian violence in Karnataka
Related topics
Freedom of religion
Violence against Christians in India
Religious violence in India
Religious persecution
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The 2008 Kandhamal violence refers to widespread violence against Christians purportedly incited by Hindutva organisations in the Kandhamal district of Orissa, India, in August 2008 after the murder of the Hindu monk Lakshmanananda Saraswati.[1] According to government reports the violence resulted in at least 39 Christians killed and 3906 Christian houses completely destroyed.[2] Reports state, more than 395 churches were razed or burnt down,[3] over 5,600 – 6,500 houses plundered or burnt down, over 600 villages ransacked and more than 60,000 – 75,000 people left homeless.[4][5][6] Other reports put the death toll at nearly 100 and suggested more than 40 women were sexually assaulted. Unofficial reports placed the number of those killed to more than 500.[7] Many Christian families were burnt alive.[8] Thousands of Christians were forced to convert to Hinduism under threat of violence.[9][3][1] Many Hindu families were also assaulted in some places because they supported the Indian National Congress (INC) party.[8] This violence was led by the Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the VHP.[10]
Tensions reportedly started with violent incidents over Christmas 2007 which resulted in the burning of over 100 churches and church institutions, including hostels, convents, and over 700 houses. Three persons were also killed during the three days after Christmas.[11][12] The Hindutva groups and activists of the Kui Samaj were mostly involved in the 2007 attacks.[13]
After the riots 20,000 people were sheltered in 14 government established relief camps and 50,000 people fled to the surrounding districts and states. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that by March 2009, and at least 3,000 individuals were still in government relief camps.
Manoj Pradhan, a MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party was convicted in the violence in 2010.[14] 18 people were also convicted in the same year.[15] Seven Christians and a Maoist leader were convicted for the murder of Lakshmanananda Saraswati on 2013.[16][17]
^ ab"In photos: Damaged churches, broken homes are the lingering scars of the 2008 Kandhamal riots". Scroll.in. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
^"India: EFICOR responds to Communal Violence in Kandhamal, Orissa – Update 4 – India". ReliefWeb. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
^ ab"Christians seek justice seven years after Kandhamal riots". Reuters. 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
^"On the Anniversary of Kandhamal Violence, the Least We Can Do Is Remember". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
^"10 years after Kandhamal riots, both sides say they await justice". The Indian Express. 2018-08-24. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
^"Kandhamal without closure". The Indian Express. 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
^Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"India: New and protracted displacement ongoing in absence of formalised response – India". ReliefWeb. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
^Chatterji, Angana (February 2009). "A state of emergency". Communalism Combat. 15 (137).
^"3,706 acquitted in Kandhamal riots". OrissaPOST. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
^"India: Stop Hindu-Christian Violence in Orissa". Human Rights Watch. 2007-12-29.
^"Twelve more churches razed in Orissa". Rediff. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
^"Kandhamal: 7 years' RI for BJP's Manoj Pradhan". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
^Cite error: The named reference 18convicted was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ramani, Priya (26 August 2018). "'They don't feel sorry': Revisiting Kandhamal 10 years after the violence against Christians". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
^Das, Sib Kumar (2013-10-03). "Life term for 8 in Lakshmanananda murder case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
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