This week in Christian history: Bakker fraud trial begins, Louis IX dies and massacre in Orissa

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, August 22, 2021

Massacre of Christians in India – Aug. 25, 2008

In this file photo, Christians take out a rally to protest against the recent attacks on the churches and members of their community in Orissa and other parts of the country in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008. | AP Images/Mahesh Kumar A.

This week marks the anniversary of when Hindu terrorists attacked Christian communities in the Indian state of Odisha, formerly known as Orissa, killing scores of people and destroying hundreds of homes.

The violence had been sparked in response to the assassination of local leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a radical Hindu political party known for their anti-Christian sentiments.

Although a Maoist group took responsibility for the assassination, Hindu extremists blamed the local Christian population instead, unleashing a wave of violence against them that resulted in as many as 100 deaths, according to human rights groups.

John Dayal, the former national president of the All India Catholic Union, recounted some of the violence from 2008 in a statement given to Fides News that was published in 2016.

“Hindu fundamentalist militants penetrated inland, killing indiscriminately,” Dayal recalled. “They took advantage of the impunity guaranteed by the state and the possible complicity of the police and other government apparatus.”