By Jatindra Dash, IANS
Barakhama (Orissa) : Standing in front of his gutted house in Orissa’s riot-hit Barakhama village, 52-year-old Eiya Naik was sifting through the debris to collect the few items that might have escaped the fire – and rioters.
“Anything will do…but we found nothing after searching for half an hour. Every thing is lost. House, clothes, rice… We have not eaten anything since the past several days,” Naik told IANS with his voice choked.
Naik is one of the hundreds who have taken shelter in forests after communal clashes in Barakhama village – some 100 km from Kandhamal town. The village has some 5,000 people and about 2,000 are Christians.
At least five people were killed and dozens injured in the clashes on Christmas-eve when groups of Hindus and Christians went on the rampage, set houses on fire and damaged places of worship. The government says only three people died.
“At least 5,000 tribals, mostly from neighbouring villages, gathered here Tuesday. Over 1,000 of them suddenly became violent and started attacking Christians, damaged their houses and set them on fire,” recollected Naik.
The incident followed after a group of Christians attacked the vehicle of a Hindu leader, Swami Laxminanda Saraswati, near Daringbadi when he was to perform a ritual in Brahmanigaon village.
“They came here and attacked our house, beat me and my wife up, and set my house on fire even though I and all my family members pleaded with them.”
“Realising the risk to our lives, we (later) fled to the nearby forest,” he said.
“My wife and I took a risk, and came here today (Saturday) after learning that the police had reached our village,” Naik said. He showed an injury on his right leg that he said was sustained in the mob attack.
“I have never caused any harm to anybody, neither Hindu nor Christian. I was running a cycle repairing shop in front of the house which has also been burnt by the mob,” said Naik, a father of three sons and two married daughters.
The couple complains that no official from the administration has reached to them in their hour of crisis though the government says it has brought hundreds of riot victims to makeshift shelters and provided them food and clothes.
The government claims the situation has been normalised in most troubled areas. The curfew, clamped in the area since Tuesday, has been partially relaxed.
However, people like Naik and his wife allege they are yet to see any officials even after five days of the riots.
“We are living in constant fear,” said Biswananth Digal, 56, of Patukipada.
“Although during the day we visit the village, during evenings we return to forests fearing more attacks,” said Digal.
Kandhamal district, which has a population of about 600,000, including 150,000 Christians, is considered one of the most communally sensitive regions in the state with numerous clashes reported between Hindus and Christians in the past.