Amnesty International has urged India to act on its word and end what it said were ongoing attacks by hardline Hindu nationalists against the country’s minority Christian community.
In a statement late on Wednesday, Amnesty also urged New Delhi to “conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into the attacks ... publish the results and bring those responsible to justice.”
It said violence had continued despite Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s admission this week that the attacks against Christians in eastern Orissa state were a “national shame” and that his government had taken a “firm stand” to halt it.
Singh’s comment on Monday while on a visit to France followed condemnation of the attacks by the pope and the EU.
“The last two days have witnessed renewed attacks by supporters of Hindu nationalist organizations ... against the Christian minorities and their places of worship in Kandhamal district in Orissa,” Amnesty said.
The fresh attacks left “three people dead, more than 15 people injured, including some policemen, and hundreds homeless,” it said.
“India should match its words with its actions and ensure that members of the Christian minority community in Orissa are protected against renewed communal violence,” Amnesty said.
Officials in Orissa said 32 people have died since the violence began on Aug. 24. The number of Christians living in relief camps had gone up from 12,000 to 20,000 during the last month.
According to Amnesty, “an atmosphere of insecurity” was prevailing in Kandhamal despite paramilitary reinforcements sent by New Delhi.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel