God. Real. Right.

A friend from Orissa, Malaya Kumar, sent me these two accounts of persecution in Orissa. The events described are from the end of August, but their material and psychological impact continues to this day. If it makes you uncomfortable to read it, remember that you are only reading it, not living it. (As usual, the letters are unedited.)
A letter requesting help:

This afternoon while I was returning after my lunch, I noticed a woman with her child in my mother in laws house who were invited for lunch. Noticing her white clothing with sad looking face I immediately realized she must be a widow. Instead of taking a step forward I halted there and got to interact with the woman who she was and what brought her to be here. With her choking voice, she narrated the whole incidence of 28th August in the late night how her husband was killed by the Hindu fundamentalists. Subsequent to the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on 23rd August by Maoist group, however, the killing was attributed to the act of Christians and went on attacking Christians, burnt houses and Churches with all forms of atrocities unabated till date.
Late Abhimanyu Nayak and his three brothers are the only four Christian families in the whole village of Barpali in Kandhamal district in Orissa State, India. About ten years back these four families have accepted Jesus Christ and lived a different kind of life from the rest of the community. On 28th August, as everyone was fast as sleep, all of sudden a mob of Hindu fundamentalists attacked these four Christian families with lethal weapons in hands. Hearing the commotion everyone run to a nearby jungle to save their lives, but Abhimanyu while running for his life he was caught hold by the Hindu fundamentalists. Within no time the mob began to inflict torture on him and dragged him to a lonely place in the village. The mob put a condition to him that if only he and brothers families converted to Hinduism his life will be spared or else he will be burnt alive. After much persuasion when the mob realized that Abhimanyu remained unchanged in his decision, finally the mob tied him to a mango tree and got kerosene from his and brother’s house for the purpose of burning him to death. After pouring kerosene on Abhimanyu they lit fire to his body and the mob left the village. When his body was burning, the plastic rope that he was tied to got melted after which Abhimanyu run to his house. By the time he reached home no one was at home, and he remained there until the next morning his wife took notice of him. The village looked deserted and no one around to take him to a nearby hospital. He survived till the next day and breathed his last at 11 am. With the dead mutilated body of Abhimanyu, his wife Priyatama Nayak stayed in the house for the next three days till it became decomposed and smelled foul, even dogs began to eat the flesh. On the third day the police came to the village to register the case and buried the body in the village. However, on the 5th day again the body was excavated for postmortem. Following, the gruesome killing Priyatama and her four children are totally shattered and traumatized as their future remains uncertain. Moreover, the mob also destroyed the houses of these four Christian families and looted everything in the house. Now, these four Christian families are taking shelter in the relief camp set up by the government.
While listening to her sad story, the Lord impressed me to help her with as little as Rs. 5,000 to meet some the immediate needs of the family. There are so many such families who need our fervent prayers and material support.
Thanks,
Sura Mahat Samal

A statement to police:

On 24th August, around 4.30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divya Jyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8.30 p.m. we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentle man who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around 1.30 p.m., the mob entered the room where I was staying in Prahald’s house, one of them slapped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head. Others told them to take me out to the road, I saw Fr. Thomas Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Jan Vikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire.
When we reached the Jan Vikas building, they threw us to the verandah on the way to the dinning room, which was full of ashes and broken glass pieces. One of them tore my blouse and others my undergarments. Father Thomas Chellan protested but they beat him and pulled him out from there. They pulled out my saree and one of them stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me on the verandah mentioned above. When it was over, I managed to get up and put my petticoat and saree. The another young man whom I can identify caught me and took me to a room near the staircase. He opened his pants and was attempting to rape me when the crowd reached there. One man in the crowd told him not to do any further harm and so he left me. I will be able to identify the person who raped me and other three persons who stepped on my hands and tore my saree etc.

The Time/CNN article from which the above picture is derived is from a skewed but not meaningless perspective, but it has this insightful note at its conclusion.

Ironically, of course, Hinduism’s acceptance of other religions is used by extremists as an excuse for hostility towards other religions. “The source of tolerance has become a source of bigotry,” says Nandy [a political psychologist and sociologist at India's Centre for the Study of Developing Societies]. Which is why this week’s upheaval won’t be the last.

Astute students of sociality in India, a state dominated by a religion defined by toleration, realize that “toleration” cannot succeed as the highest value of a culture. It is a prescription for persecution–clearly material for another post.