March 29, 1999
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ORISSA Fuelling Fire The Ranalai flare-up is yet another instance of the communal paranoia gripping the state. By Ruben Banerjee
Normally the incident would have been ignored as a local skirmish. But following a string of reported atrocities against minorities -- some of them baseless -- and more so after the murder of the missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January, many see an orchestrated pogrom behind every allegation of outrage in the state. Ranalai was no different. Though Chief Minister Giridhar Gomang has declared there is nothing to panic about, no one believes him. And the media's role in pressing the panic button has only made matters worse. Early this month, a Christian prayer hall in Jagannathpur in south Orissa was destroyed by fire. Though an electrical short circuit was the cause, the media went to town with reports that a church had been burnt down. Yet another sensational story was the alleged gangrape of a nun in Baripada. Subsequent medical reports discounted rape as the nun was clinically found to have had a history of sexual activity. But the reports disproving the rape were largely ignored. "The damage was never undone," says an agitated Kharavela Swain, BJP MP. Such unfounded allegations are clearly adding to the existing bitterness. While the clergy is convinced it is under attack, many among the Hindus believe the theory of a conspiracy is undermining the country's secularity. The rape and murder of a Christian tribal girl in Phulbani's Raikia was another case in point. It did not matter that the culprit was also a Christian. Police reports suggest that on the day the girl was murdered, about 60 faxes were sent to newspapers and agencies from Raikia. Even the Ranalai issue rocked the state Assembly in session just about 45 minutes after the incident. Amid the charges and countercharges flying past, it's the villagers of Ranalai who are the sufferers. Answers are not available on why the local Hindus changed the cross into a trishul. The closest guess could be that the frenetic religious activity -- annual conventions of the clergy and a raucous BJP meeting held in the region simultaneously -- in the backdrop of the statewide tension brought matters to a pass. To locals, the vast outbacks of Gajapati is a happy hunting ground for religious zealots. Poverty has pushed many to desperation and the region has of late been witness to sporadic clashes between the two communities over right to till government land. Politically, with elections less than a year away, major parties are out to woo the around 38 per cent SC-ST vote bank in the region. This explains why Gomang was chosen as the state's first tribal chief minister. Though tribals have traditionally supported the Congress, in the last elections the BJP made heavy inroads into tribal districts. For the Congress, desperate to wrest back its lost base, championing the minority cause is just the plank it needs. But even the BJP stands to gain here. In places where communal clashes have taken place, it can count upon the support of non-Christian tribals. Whatever be the political games or gains, violent flare-ups have come to be a way of life in the region. Be they over land or religion. |
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The trouble
was essentially over trivia. A cross irregularly painted over a hillock which members of
another community changed into a trishul. Yet, in suspicion-ravaged Orissa, it was
provocative enough for yet another communal flare-up last week at Ranalai in Gajapati
district. Though a clear majority in the village, the Christians were badly outnumbered
when the Hindus drew supporters from nearby villagers. At the end of the day, at least 150
Christian houses were set on fire and a dozen Christians assaulted. 
