Report by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (RD/SP)

Mumbai, Jan 14: Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) welcomed the recent order passed by Supreme Court (SC) on Orissa government, asking to either protect the minorities or dissolve the legislative assembly.  BCS has also expressed its gratitude to union home minister P Chidambaram, for his role in ensuring a peaceful Christmas and urged him not to withdraw central paramilitary forces deployed in riot torn districts across Orissa till every Christian family returns home. 

SC in its recent verdict said that it would not allow persecution of minorities and requisitioned Orissa government to dissolve the assembly, if it cannot protect the Christians targeted in the  recent riots that followed the assassination of Vishwa Hindu Parishat (VHP) leader during 2008.

A bench comprising of the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice Markandey Katju and Justice P Sathasivam asked the BJD - led government to also reconstruct the churches damaged during the violence.

"We will not accept the persecution of minority. If the state government is unable to protect them it should resign. We have to protect the minorities…

No minority community should be insecure in the country," Justice Katju said.

"It is the duty of the state government to protect the minority community. You (state) have done this only after 50,000 people of the minority community fled to the jungles," he stated.

 The apex court, which in October last, had directed the stationing of para - military forces in the riot-hit areas till December-end in view of Christmas, asked the state government not to take any unilateral decision on its withdrawal.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Cuttack Archbishop Raphel Cheenath seeking the intervention of central forces in stemming the communal violence which erupted in Kandhamal district of Orissa against Christians after prominent VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati was gunned down on August 23, 2008 at his Ashram.

Nun Rape Case progress:

In the Nun Rape case, the 29-year-old nun identified two persons from a line-up of 80 during the identification parade (IP) which was held at the high-security Circle Choudwar jail in Cuttack on January 5. Although ten persons had been arrested in connection with the case,  80 others were also paraded before the nun during the IP.

A court in Baliguda had fixed dates for the IP twice earlier, but the nun, who had left Orissa after the incident, failed to turn up while seeking change of venue stating that she did not want to visit Kandhamal again.

The nun was allegedly raped at K Nuagaon in strife-torn Kandhamal during the communal violence on August 25.