Manoj Pradhan, a member of the Indian state of Orissa's parliament belonging to the Hindu nationalist party BJP, was convicted for the second time on September 9 for the murder of a Christian during the 2008 anti-Christian pogroms in Kandhamal district. In June, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the murder of Christian Parikhita Nayak, but less than a month later he was released on bail. Now he has been sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of 250 euros for also killing another Christian, Vikram Nayak, in connection with the pogroms. Father Dibakar Parichha, a Catholic priest who was also the lawyer for the surviving relatives of the murdered Christians, said that it gave a little hope to the victims of the Kandhamal pogroms. Another lawyer, Markos Joseph Kunnumpurath, said, "Now the victims can regain a little faith in the Indian legal system."
Pradhan has been named in connection with 38 other murder cases in the same context, but only six of these have been considered by the court. His release on bail with a seven-year sentence for murder has angered the many Christians whose relatives were killed by the extremists and undermined their faith in the justice system. Parikhita Nayak's widow, Rekha Nayak, has appealed to the Supreme Court of India through her lawyer to reverse the bail and so far the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.
For now, Manoj Pradhan is back in prison, this time to begin serving his second prison sentence.
Between December 2007 and August 2008, Hindu extremists attacked Christians, killing 93 people, burning and looting more than 6,500 houses, destroying over 350 churches and 45 schools. Over 50,000 people were displaced into the jungle and many are still living in makeshift camps. Some of the Christians who tried to return to their villages were told by local Hindus that they could only do so if they "converted back" to Hinduism. "Converting back" is an oxymoron, as many of these Christians have never previously described themselves as Hindus, as they are tribal people who have previously practiced a traditional nature religion. Most of the perpetrators of the violence are still at large, and witnesses have been threatened into silence during the trials that have taken place against accused perpetrators.
Source: AsiaNews
