Orissa Christians Fearful as Anniversary Nears

A Catholic archbishop said Christians in the Indian state of Orissa are becoming more fearful with the approach of the first anniversary of the anti-Christian violence they experienced. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar said that Christians are tense after an Aug. 6 attack on Chikusagar Nayak, who works with the archdiocese's justice and peace commission in the Kandhamal district, the center of last year's violence. Nayak suffered a broken arm in the attack. Cheenath said people are afraid because "hard-core criminals are still on the loose." The prelate said only a few people accused in last year's violence have been arrested. Some of them have even been acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence and are threatening victims and witnesses, he added. He also said people are reluctant to move from relief camps where they have been living for a year.