Christians Face Hindus' Wrath

In Bhubaneswar, nearly 500 people are taking shelter at an overcrowded YMCA, too scared to leave. Thousands are missing or hiding in jungles, Christian groups say.

The killings come at a time when many Indians feel that Hindu fundamentalism appears to be on the rise. Adherents often espouse the goal of promoting India as a Hindu nation, rather than a secular one. Although Hindus are the majority in India, the country has one of the world's largest populations of Muslims, is the birthplace of Buddhism and is the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Conversions to Christianity have been happening fast among impoverished tribal communities in Kandhamal, a remote district with few links to the outside world or state services. The Christian population here, largely made up of traditionally nature-worshiping ethnic groups, has swelled from 6 percent in 1971 to 27 percent today, according to government census data.

Some people who convert often get better access to schools and health clinics run by Western Christian groups. But they lose their official status with the government as members of a disadvantaged caste and with it jobs and university seats reserved under the affirmative action program.

Christians among one such ethnic group, the Panos, have recently been agitating to continue to collect those benefits anyway. Some Hindu activists see this request as ridiculous. They say that Christians have rejected the Hindu-sanctioned caste system and should not get the benefits.

"The violence is in the name of religion. But what is really fueling it is jealousy over who is getting education, reservations and status," said Golden Kumar Naik, a Christian convert who works in development and whose 11-room home was burned. "People are still very poor in this country; there are not enough jobs. There is fear that there won't be enough for the Hindus, too."

Failure to prevent and prosecute such crimes has brought embarrassment to the Indian government, at a time when it is trying to build for the country an image as a growing superpower and the world's largest secular democracy.

Pope Benedict XVI condemned the violence, saying he heard the news with a "deep sadness."

"This is a black mark in the history of Christianity for the whole world," said Swarupananda Patra, president of the YMCA in Bhubaneswar. He said he tells displaced families to go back so they can register their damaged and stolen property. "But they refuse, saying they will be killed if they didn't become Hindu."

Some figures in the central government accuse the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, a partner in Orissa's ruling coalition, of ignoring the violence. The central government sent troops, but after most of the violence had abated.

"There was no sense of security in the rural areas," said union minister Ajay Maken, who came from New Delhi to talk to victims at the YMCA. "This is one of my saddest days as a leader of India, which is supposed to be a secular, free society," added Maken, who is also in charge of India's ruling Congress party in Orissa.

There are political undercurrents to the conflict as well. This is an election year, and pro-Hindu parties are worried about losing votes as Christianity spreads, some observers say.