Bhubaneswar: The communal violence
in Orissa's Kandhamal, which claimed 38 lives including
Christian Dalits' and Hindu tribals, had its impact on the
people of Europe, visiting diplomats from nine European Union
countries said on Wednesday.
"The EU diplomats said people in their countries
wanted to know about the ground situation at Kandhamal," a
journalist present among the group of mediapersons invited to
an informal chat with the diplomats here, said.
The EU diplomats also informed the media persons that
they were anxious to know about the condition of the
violence-affected people 25 months after the riot in
Kandhamal.
Since the EU decided to fund some development
activities in Orissa, they wanted to assess the ground
situation, especially whether communal harmony prevailed now,
said another scribe.
While the diplomats met a select group of scribes from
particular media houses at a posh hotel here, a large number
of journalists, mostly from local media, expressed their
displeasure for being left out by the EU team.
The visiting delegation said it discussed with
journalists different issues relating to riot in Kandhamal.
"We collected information from church leaders on how
the state government acted after the riot and condition of
victims", Christopher Manet, political counsellor in the EU
delegation to India, said.
The 11-member delegation met church leaders including
Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar dioces Rapheal Cheenath in
the evening.
"We have told them that complete normalcy was yet to
return to Kandhamal though there had been no violence in the
district for the last one year," Cheenath told reporters after
the meeting.
EU diplomats enquire
A group of visiting European
Union diplomats today enquired about the sensational nun rape
case in Kandhamal district of Orissa, which was hit by
communal violence, and progress in investigation.
The issue was raised by the delegation during its meeting
with Director General of Police (DGP) Manmohan Praharaj and
other senior police officers at the state police headquarters
at Cuttack.
"They wanted to know about the progress made in several
cases including the nun rape case," Praharaj told reporters.
While 19 persons had been arrested in connection with
the nun rape case, three youths were identified by the victim
during the two test identification parades (TIP), the
delegation was informed, police sources said.
The crime branch of the Orissa Police, which had been
probing the case, has already submitted chargesheets against
the persons identified by the woman.
The 29-year-old catholic nun was allegedly raped at K
Nuagaon under Baliguda police station area during a statewide
bandh on August 25, 2008, two days after the killing of the
VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 03, 2010, 23:56