: Voices from Ruins – Kandhamal in search of Justice , a documentary on Kandhamal atrocities, will be screened at Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Thrissur, at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday.
Directed by documentary maker K.P. Sasi, the 90-minute film is about the atrocities unleashed against Adivasis and Dalit Christians at Kandhamal in Orissa by Sangh Parivar groups on August 25, 2008.
Kandhamal district in Orissa is mainly inhabited by Adivasis and Dalits. Among them, large numbers are Christians. The hate campaign against the Christians in Kandhamal started in late 1960s and sustained for several decades culminating in violence on the minorities in 1980s, 90s and 2000s, says the film-maker.
“The year 2008 saw the biggest violence on Christians in modern India, resulting in the destruction of over 350 churches, displacement of over 56,000 people, destruction of over 6,500 houses, death of over 93 people and abuse of over 40 women. The victims were Adivasi Christians and Dalit Christians. The survivors of Kandhamal violence are still struggling against the improper compensation, shortage of rehabilitation facilities and improper justice delivery systems,” according to the director.
The documentary brings out the concerns of the survivors, and analyses the historical roots of violence and portrays the impact of violence on various sections of the communities and the struggle for justice by the survivors of Kandhamal violence.
