In August 2008, communal fires scorched Odisha’s Kandhamal district, which saw widespread violence against Christians, allegedly instigated by Hindutva organisations.
The flashpoint for the riots was the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his followers on August 23. Hindu groups blamed the murders on Christians, even though they were widely believed to be the result of a Maoist attack. The ensuing violence claimed at least 38 lives, according to government estimates, though human rights groups peg the death toll closer to 100. More than 40 women were sexually assaulted and over 300 churches were vandalised. The violence spread to 600 villages. More than 6,000 homes were looted and burnt, and at least 56,000 people were displaced, according to various estimates. Many Christians were coerced to convert to Hinduism with the threat of violence.
10 years later
The riots have cast a long shadow. Over the years, activists and journalists have revisited Kandhamal and written reports of the lingering scars of the 2008 violence and thousands of people who were displaced have not yet returned to the area.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the riots, a group of activists organised an event called Kandhamal: Never Again at New Delhi’s Constitution Club on August 25. At the convention, photographs by activist Joe Athialy, who visited Kandhamal in June, were exhibited. He documented the vandalised structures and grieving families in the area as well as tales of courage and resilience. During his visit, he was accompanied by filmmaker KP Sasi, whose 2016 documentary Kandhamal: Voices From the Ruins, attempted to trace the roots of the communal violence in the area and its impact on local residents.
On August 29, the photos were exhibited in Bhubaneswar, alongside an event held in the Odisha capital by Kandhamal survivors.
This story was originally published in scroll.in . Read the full story here