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Christians seek refugee status

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Accusing the Centre of failing to protect the minorities, 100 Christians from the Kandhamal district of Orissa approached the United Nations here on Wednesday seeking refugee status for the community. Led by civil rights activists, a delegation submitted a memorandum to U.N. officials.

Holding placards stating “Government of India has failed to protect its minorities,” the group said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees should declare “Oriya Christians” as refugees and bring them under the legal framework to protect their human dignity from rights violations and abuse.

“Currently, they along with tens of thousands, are a stateless people as the writ of the Government of India does not run in the State of Orissa. There is no rule of law and ‘mobocracy’ by Hindutva terror outfits like the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal is the political system which is in place. The Prime Minister has not visited Orissa and earlier, even the Home Minister of India could not visit the victims.”

According to the memorandum, these Oriya Christians fulfil the requirements as per U.N. conventions to be ‘Internally Displaced Persons’.

Seeking relief from U.N. agencies and the International Red Cross, it said the community would either be killed by “Hindu extremists” or die of malnourishment if no attention was paid immediately.

Stating that the Orissa government had prevented Christian NGOs from working in the affected areas, the memorandum questioned the Centre’s refusal to use its constitutional powers. Also, the delegation urged the international community to mount pressure on India to fulfil its obligations under the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which it ratified in 1948.

Besides film director Mahesh Bhat and National Integration Council member John Dayal, the memorandum was signed by representatives of Indian Christian Voice, The Catholic Secular Forum, Act Now for Harmony and Democracy and Dinbandhu Ministries.

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