ORISSA STATE, INDIA (ANS) -- On the same day that a Roman Catholic nun was burned alive by a group of Hindu fundamentalists who stormed the orphanage she ran in the district of Bargarh (Orissa), a priest who was at the orphanage was also badly hurt, and another nun from Bubaneshwar’s Social Center was gang-raped by groups of Hindu extremists before the building housing the facility was set on fire.
The attacks followed two days of anti-Christian violence in the state of Orissa (north-east India) following the assassination of radical Hindu leader Swami Laxanananda Saraswati.
While the Catholic nun who was gang-raped in the violence in Kandhamal, Orissa on August 25, 2008 has signed a statement, which she read at a Press Conference in New Delhi, on October 24, 2008, her name is being withheld in this article to respect the Indian Supreme Court Advisory on the use of names of victims of gender violence.
In her statement to the media, the nun says that on August 24, around 4:30pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd at the gate of Divyajyoti Pastoral Center, she ran out through the backdoor and escaped to the forest along with others.
"We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8:30 pm we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentleman who gave us shelter."
The nun says that on August 25, around 1:30 pm, the mob entered the room where she was staying in that house, one of them stopped her, caught her hair and pulled her out of the house.
"Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head with an axe. Others told them to take me out to the road; I saw Fr. Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron-rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burned down Janavikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire."
The nun stated that when they reached the Janavikas building, they threw her to the verandah on the way to the dining room, which was full of ashes and broken glass pieces.
"One of them tore my blouse and others my undergarments. Father Chellan protested and they beat him and pulled him out from there. They pulled out my saree and one of the stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me on the verandah mentioned above. When it was over, I managed to get up and put my petticoat and saree. Then another young man caught me and took me to a room near the staircase. He opened his pants and was attempting to rape me when they reached there."
The nun says she hid under the staircase.
"The crowd was shouting 'where is that sister, come let us rape her, at least 100 people should rape.' They found me under the staircase and took me out to the road. There I saw Fr. Chellan was kneeling down and the crowd was beating him. They were searching for a rope to tie us both of us together to burn us in fire. Someone suggested to make us parade naked. They made us walk on the road till Nuagoan market, which was half a kilometer from there. They made us fold our hands and walk. I was with petticoat and saree as they had already torn away my blouse and undergarments. They tried to strip even there and I resisted and they went on beating me with hands on my cheeks and head and with sticks on my back several times."
When they reached the market the market place about a dozen of OSAP policemen were there.
"I went to them asking to protect me and I sat in between two policemen but they did not move. One from the crowd again pulled out from there and they wanted to lock us in their temple mandap. The crowd led me and Fr. Chellan to the Nuagaon block building saying that they will hand us over to BDO. From there along with the block officer the mob took us to police outpost Nuagaon, other policemen remained far (away)."
The mob said that they will come back after eating and one of them who attacked her remained back in the police outpost, the nun said.
"Policemen then came to police outpost. They were talking very friendly with the man who had attacked me and stayed back. In the police outpost we remained until the inspector in charge of Balliguda with his police team came and took us to Balliguda. They were afraid to take us straight to the police station and they kept us sometimes in jeep. In the garage, from there, they brought us to the station.
"The inspector in charge and other government officers took me privately and asked whatever happened to me. I narrated everything in detail to the police, how I was attacked, raped, taken away from policemen paraded half naked and how the policemen did not help me when I asked for help while weeping bitterly. I saw the inspector writing (this) down. The inspector asked me 'are you interested in filing FIR? Do you know what will be the consequence?' At about 10:00 pm I was taken for medical check-up accompanied by a lady police officer to Balliguda Hospital. They were afraid to keep us in police station, saying the mob may attack police station. So the police took us to the IB (Inspection Bungalow) where CRP men were camping."
On August 26 around 9:00 am, the two Catholics were taken to Balliguda police station.
"When I was writing the FIR, the I I C asked me to hurry up and not to write in detail. When I started writing about the police, the I I C told me 'this is not the way to write FIR, make it short.' So I re-wrote it for the third time in one and half pages. I filed the FIR, but I was not given a copy of it," the nun explained.
At around 4:00 pm the inspector in charge of Balliguda police station along with some other government officers put the two Catholics in the OSRTC bus to Bhubaneswar along with other stranded passengers. Police were there till Rangamati where all passengers had their supper.
"After that I did not see the police. We got down near Nayagarh and traveled in a private vehicle and reached Bhubaneswar around 2:00 am on August 27," she said.
The nun concluded: "State Police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers."
She said the police tried their best to say that it was best that she did not register an FIR, and not make complaints against police. She added that the police did not take down her statement as she narrated in detail and they abandoned her half of the way."I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimized by the Orissa police. I want a CBI enquiry."
The attacks followed two days of anti-Christian violence in the state of Orissa (north-east India) following the assassination of radical Hindu leader Swami Laxanananda Saraswati.
While the Catholic nun who was gang-raped in the violence in Kandhamal, Orissa on August 25, 2008 has signed a statement, which she read at a Press Conference in New Delhi, on October 24, 2008, her name is being withheld in this article to respect the Indian Supreme Court Advisory on the use of names of victims of gender violence.
In her statement to the media, the nun says that on August 24, around 4:30pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd at the gate of Divyajyoti Pastoral Center, she ran out through the backdoor and escaped to the forest along with others.
"We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8:30 pm we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentleman who gave us shelter."
The nun says that on August 25, around 1:30 pm, the mob entered the room where she was staying in that house, one of them stopped her, caught her hair and pulled her out of the house.
"Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head with an axe. Others told them to take me out to the road; I saw Fr. Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron-rods, sickles etc. They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burned down Janavikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smoldering fire."
The nun stated that when they reached the Janavikas building, they threw her to the verandah on the way to the dining room, which was full of ashes and broken glass pieces.
"One of them tore my blouse and others my undergarments. Father Chellan protested and they beat him and pulled him out from there. They pulled out my saree and one of the stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me on the verandah mentioned above. When it was over, I managed to get up and put my petticoat and saree. Then another young man caught me and took me to a room near the staircase. He opened his pants and was attempting to rape me when they reached there."
The nun says she hid under the staircase.
"The crowd was shouting 'where is that sister, come let us rape her, at least 100 people should rape.' They found me under the staircase and took me out to the road. There I saw Fr. Chellan was kneeling down and the crowd was beating him. They were searching for a rope to tie us both of us together to burn us in fire. Someone suggested to make us parade naked. They made us walk on the road till Nuagoan market, which was half a kilometer from there. They made us fold our hands and walk. I was with petticoat and saree as they had already torn away my blouse and undergarments. They tried to strip even there and I resisted and they went on beating me with hands on my cheeks and head and with sticks on my back several times."
When they reached the market the market place about a dozen of OSAP policemen were there.
"I went to them asking to protect me and I sat in between two policemen but they did not move. One from the crowd again pulled out from there and they wanted to lock us in their temple mandap. The crowd led me and Fr. Chellan to the Nuagaon block building saying that they will hand us over to BDO. From there along with the block officer the mob took us to police outpost Nuagaon, other policemen remained far (away)."
The mob said that they will come back after eating and one of them who attacked her remained back in the police outpost, the nun said.
"Policemen then came to police outpost. They were talking very friendly with the man who had attacked me and stayed back. In the police outpost we remained until the inspector in charge of Balliguda with his police team came and took us to Balliguda. They were afraid to take us straight to the police station and they kept us sometimes in jeep. In the garage, from there, they brought us to the station.
"The inspector in charge and other government officers took me privately and asked whatever happened to me. I narrated everything in detail to the police, how I was attacked, raped, taken away from policemen paraded half naked and how the policemen did not help me when I asked for help while weeping bitterly. I saw the inspector writing (this) down. The inspector asked me 'are you interested in filing FIR? Do you know what will be the consequence?' At about 10:00 pm I was taken for medical check-up accompanied by a lady police officer to Balliguda Hospital. They were afraid to keep us in police station, saying the mob may attack police station. So the police took us to the IB (Inspection Bungalow) where CRP men were camping."
On August 26 around 9:00 am, the two Catholics were taken to Balliguda police station.
"When I was writing the FIR, the I I C asked me to hurry up and not to write in detail. When I started writing about the police, the I I C told me 'this is not the way to write FIR, make it short.' So I re-wrote it for the third time in one and half pages. I filed the FIR, but I was not given a copy of it," the nun explained.
At around 4:00 pm the inspector in charge of Balliguda police station along with some other government officers put the two Catholics in the OSRTC bus to Bhubaneswar along with other stranded passengers. Police were there till Rangamati where all passengers had their supper.
"After that I did not see the police. We got down near Nayagarh and traveled in a private vehicle and reached Bhubaneswar around 2:00 am on August 27," she said.
The nun concluded: "State Police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers."
She said the police tried their best to say that it was best that she did not register an FIR, and not make complaints against police. She added that the police did not take down her statement as she narrated in detail and they abandoned her half of the way."I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimized by the Orissa police. I want a CBI enquiry."
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