Syed Ali Mujtaba

New Delhi—Since the BJP government came to power in Bhubaneswar, rising communal fissures have been witnessed in Odisha, the eastern state of India.

Soon after the BJP government was sworn in on June 12, 2024, communal tension arose in Balasore and miscreants threw stones at a mosque, and set fire to a house belonging to the minority community. Curfew was imposed and internet services were shut down, and things as usual followed.

In August 2024, the media reported attacks on minority communities in various parts of the state; Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Sambalpur, and Bolangir districts, etc were all under the grip of communal tension. Many cases went unreported.

The attack was made on migrant workers, particularly from the neighboring states of Bihar and West Bengal. Hundreds of migrant workers were displaced from the area of the communal violence, reported Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan (GASS) a civic advocacy group in Bhubaneswar.

The reason was recent developments in Bangladesh that were used as a pretext to target the Muslim minorities in Odisha. The Sangh Parivar, in an act of revenge for alleged atrocities on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, targeted the Muslims in Odisha.

Attack on Christians: There were reports in the third week of August, particularly on Janmashtami day (August 26), that the Sangh Parivar had asked the members of the Christian community to leave the Kandhamal region. The Christian community was forced to leave their homes under a silent but pervasive threat, this exodus continues.

 Laxmanananda murder case:  A Hindu monk and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was murdered along with four of his disciples on August 23, 2008, at Jalespata Ashram in Kandhamal district of Odisha. Following his death, violence erupted in the district, claiming more than 60 lives, rendering thousands homeless, and resulting in the rape of a nun.

This case which is still under investigation is cashed by the Sangh Parivar every year. On the pretext of commemorating the death anniversary of the slain Hindu priest, the Hindutva zealots make it a point to target the Christian community.  

This time again the situation was aggravated when two state ministers belonging to the BJP party attended a public gathering organized to commemorate the death of Laxmananda. The event was a blatant attempt to instill fear among the Christian community.

In another incident, the VHP cadres tried to observe its foundation day, at the campus of Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur. They invited the Vice-Chancellor Professor N. Nagaraju, to be the chief guest of this event which sparked protests by academicians, writers, and students that forced a last-minute change of venue.

It may be recalled that it is at the same venue, that Professor Nivedita Menon, known for her anti-communal stance, was barred from completing her talk at a University programme.

This is a contrast between protesting a secular academician and inviting a communal organization to hold its program in a University that highlights the penetration of communal forces in the state.

The BJP’s electoral victory in the state and the center has given rise to communal tensions with the minorities in Odisha. The BJP’s political victory has given a free hand to Sangh Parivar to organize the communal clashes in the state.

A civic advocacy group the Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan (GASS) has called on the people of Odisha to resist these nefarious forces and stand up against the rising communal tensions in the state.  

GASS President, Dr. Golak Bihari Nath, has condemned the divisive political agenda of the BJP and urged all democratic entities to unite in their responses. He also appealed to the state government to take decisive action to restore peace and communal harmony in Odisha.