First conviction in India's anti-Christian riots case

New Delhi - An Indian court sentenced a man to two years in jail for the first conviction in the anti-Christian violence in the eastern state of Orissa, media reports said Wednesday. A special court at Phulbani, seat of the communally sensitive Kandhamal district, sentenced a 58-year-old man for setting fire to a house and threatening to murder a man from the minority Christian community, the NDTV network reported. Kandhamal district, about 200 kilometres west of Orissa state capital Bhubaneshwar, saw widespread communal violence after murders of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides in August. Saraswati had been leading a campaign against conversion to Christianity in the area. Scores of churches and houses of Christians were set on fire by Hindu groups, and villagers of both religions clashed. At least 40 people were killed in the state and more than 25,000 Christians were forced to flee after their homes were attacked by mobs. Although Maoist militants operating in the area claimed responsibility for the murders, fanatical Hindu groups suspected Christian involvement and targeted the religious minority. The government set up two fast-track courts to try cases related to the communal violence. Nearly 700 cases have been filed in various police stations while police have arrested 1,000 people in connection with the riots, the PTI news agency reported. The court decision came days after federal Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram toured the region and apologized to Christians for the violence against the community. The minister assured the community that government agencies would work effectively to rehabilitate the victims. Kandhamal district, home to about 600,000 people, is among India's poorest. A majority of the population is tribal. Many have converted to Christianity over the past few decades. Christian missionaries are active in the region promoting healthcare and education. About 25 per cent of Kandhamal's population is Christian compared to the 2.3-per-cent national figure. Organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) have accused Christian missionaries and aid workers of luring poor tribal people to convert by promising them material assistance. Communally sensitive areas of Orissa, like Kandhamal, have seen several clashes between Hindus and Christians in the past. In one of the worst such incidents, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons were burned alive in 1999 by a fanatical Hindu mob that set their car on fire in Keonjhar district.