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Christian outfit to confront attacks launched

The All Orissa United Christian Forum, an apex body of churches and Christian organisations in the state, on Sunday announced the launching of a new youth outfit, Rastriya Surakshya Vahini, to peacefully confront the continuing attacks on the community by fundamentalist and communal forces.

RSV, which would be initially have five units comprising 100 youths each, will also work for maintenance of law and order and protection of democracy and secularism, the leader of the newly-founded forum told a news conference in Bhubaneswar.

Expressing serious concern over the series of attacks on the community and their places of worship in four districts of the state, particularly in the tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Catholic diocese and Ranjit Pradhan, president of the AOUCF, castigated the Orissa government for being anti-minority.

''It is a government of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad that had totally failed to protect the community and give them justice,'' they said while threatening that the AOUCF would move the International Court of Justice, if necessary.

They also demanded immediate transfer of the collector and Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal district, which had witnessed 22 attacks on Christians since April last.

While accusing the district administration of joining hands with fundamentalists, Cheenath and Pradhan demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the attacks on minorities in Kandhamal district.

The Archbishop said although the National Democratic Alliance government and the RSS were trying to explain away each case of attack on the community as an isolated one, the series of incidents in Kandhamal were pre-planned.

''The attacks are not isolated incidents but part of the national policy of fundamentalist groups to strike at will against the community,'' he said adding, in Kandhamal district, the affairs of the minority community had been handed over to the mob.

Claiming that the district administration was sympathetic to fundamentalist forces, the Christian leaders said those responsible for the attacks were moving freely with police escort.

They assured that formation of the RSV would not cause more law and order problems. It is a non-communal organisation, which would peacefully protect churches against attacks and vandalism.

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