ICC Note:

The Chief Minister of Kerala, a state in southern India, has called for a fresh investigation into the incident that sparked the 2008 anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal. On August 23, 2008, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was found murdered. Christians were quickly blamed for this and three months of violence were unleashed. Many Christians claim that their community was not involved and that they were scapegoated because of their religious identity. Will India initiate a new investigation into the cause of the 2008 riots? 

12/15/2016 India (Vatican Radio) – Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala has demanded a fresh probe into the death of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati of Kandhamal in the Eastern Indian State of Odisha on August 23, 2008, which had triggered riots in that area, that led to a massacre of more than a hundred Christians and a destruction of their churches and homes.

The Chief Minister put forth this demand on Tuesday, while releasing the Malayalam translation of ‘Who killed Swami Laxmanananda?’, a book penned by Delhi based journalist Anto Akkara in Thiruvananthapuram.

“The book forcefully shows that the allegation that ‘Christians killed the Swami’ is itself a concocted conspiracy. Yet seven innocent Christians have been convicted to life imprisonment for the murder of the Swami (Hindu religious leader).” remarked the Kerala Chief Minister at the Trivandrum Press Club, while releasing the investigative book translated into Malayalam by N Moosakutty.

Following the rumour that Christians had killed the Swami, Chief Minister Vijayan pointed, Hindu mobs were “incited to attack the Christians that left nearly 100 Christians dead, 300 churches and 6,000 Christian houses plundered in an orchestrated violence. This book has knit together convincing pieces of evidence that makes one breathless – without compromising on truth and honesty. Anto Akkara’s book is a model and great work of investigative journalism,” he added, after handing over the first copy to eminent historian Dr. K N Panikkar.

“I am besieged with mixed feelings. I am glad because the website is dedicated to ensure release of innocent victims,” said Panicker, former head of Modern History at Jawaharlal University in New Delhi, while launching the Malayalam link to the website www.release7innocents.com, at the function.

“At the same time, I feel distressed that justice has been denied to the victims for such a long time that a public petition has become necessary”, he added.

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