Christian deaths blamed on Hindu political leaders

Argentina News.Net
Tuesday 14th October, 2008

Indian church leaders have condemned hard-line political Hindus for killing Christians to win votes in upcoming national elections.

Leaders from the council on Tuesday said violence in Orissa had been led by hard-line Hindu parties who were whipping up religious fervor prior to national elections.

The All India Christian Council claims Hindu activists have been taking severe retaliatory action after blaming Christians for the slaying of a Hindu leader in Orissa on August 23rd.

The attacks have left nearly sixty dead and thousands of people homeless, with many churches destroyed.

Even though the Orissa government has blamed the killing on Maoists in the state, the Christian killings have continued.

For some time now, Hindu leaders have accused Christian missionaries of forcing low-caste Hindus to convert.

Around 2.5 percent of India's 1.1 billion people are Christians, while more than 80 percent are Hindu.

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