ICC Note:

Two of the seven Indian Christians falsely imprisoned for the murder of a Hindu leader in 2008 were allowed temporary parole over the Christmas period to celebrate the holiday with their families. This temporary parole comes at a time where many in India are questioning the legitimacy of the convictions of these seven Christians. The murder these Christians are convicted of is that of Swami Laxmanananda in the Kandhamal District of India’s Odisha State. The murder sparked off months of anti-Christian riots that led to the deaths of nearly 100 Christians still considered India’s worst instance of Christian persecution. Will these seven Christians eventually be exonerated of the crime they are falsely convicted?

01/09/2018 India (World Watch Monitor) – Two of seven Indian Christians who have spent nearly a decade in prison – convicted of murdering a Hindu leader whose death sparked the worst case of anti-Christian violence in India’s history – were granted temporary parole over the Christmas period to spend time with their families. Evidence seems to be mounting that their convictions may be false. Six of the seven are illiterate, and they all continue to maintain their innocence.

Gornath Chalanseth and Bijay Kumar Sanseth returned to prison on Saturday (6 January), after two weeks on parole. It was the third time Chalanseth has been granted temporary release, but a first for Sanseth, who was accused of masterminding the Hindu leader’s murder in August 2008.

His death had been preceded over Christmas 2007 by violent attacks against Christians orchestrated by extremist Hindu nationalists.

None of the five others convicted have spent a day outside prison since their arrest in 2008.

Indian Christians have demanded their release, and Catholic journalist Anto Akkara has written a book, ‘Who Killed Swami Laxmanananda?’, outlining the reasons he believes they are innocent. At its launch in the Odisha capital, Bhubaneshwar, last week, the President of a People’s Forum campaigning for human rights, Prafulla Samantara, challenged local media: “Is there anyone to challenge the findings of this book?” Independent Indian news service The Wire has also covered the findings of Akkara’s book.

Brinda Karat, a senior of leader of the Communist Party of India, speaking during the 28 December launch in New Delhi, said: “Akkara’s book has brought out the absurdities and discrepancies of the judgement convicting seven persons in the case wherein a resolution of a church, that later turned out to be fudged, is the only evidence. The judgement based on manufactured evidences is the most outrageous travesty of justice. This judgement will be known as ‘what a judgement should not be’.”

Akkara was also involved in the creation of a website, which urges readers to sign a petition for the release of the seven. Each online signature generates instant emails to India’s President, the Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court and the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.

Nearly 100 Christians were killed and 300 churches and 6,000 Christian homes damaged in the Kandhamal district of Odisha, after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on 23 August 2008.

By the end of that year, the seven – Chalanseth, Sanseth, Durjo Sunamajhi, Bhaskar Sunamajhi, Budhadeb Nayak, Munda Badamajhi and Sanatan Badamajhi – had been arrested. In 2013, they were found guilty of the murder by the trial court and each sentenced to life imprisonment.

The convictions shocked India’s Christian community, which was still reeling after the deadly attacks, and Christian advocates have been fighting for their release ever since.

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For interviews with William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected].