A Fellow ship of persecuted christians was held at Jalna,
Bhubaneshwar . About 70 children/widows and suffering persons from Kandhamal and other affected areas attended a gathering on 2 and 3 Feb 2012 held at Janla under the auspicious of Global Council of Indian Christians(GCIC) . Dr Sajan K George, president of Global Council of Indian christians(GCIC) exhorted participants to forgive the people have wronged against, as our Lord commands us to do. Five widows have shared their struggle to carry on their lives in the face of
persecution and discrimination.  read more »

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A National People’s Tribunal (NPT) on Kandhamal was held in New Delhi
on 22-24 August 2010, organized by the National Solidarity Forum - a
countrywide solidarity platform of concerned persons from various
walks of life. The NPT aimed at assisting the victims and survivors of
the Kandhamal violence 2008 to seek justice, accountability and peace
and to restore the victim-survivors’ right to a dignified life. The
twelve-member jury of the NPT was headed by Justice A.P. Shah (retd.).
The Tribunal’s final report was released in Bhubaneswar on 2nd
December 2011. The report is based on the testimonies of 45 victims,
survivors and their representatives. Additionally, it incorporates and
draws upon the contents of studies, field surveys, research, fact-
finding reports and statements to the Tribunal that were presented by
15 experts.

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The Orissa state government formally declares at least 17 persons freed from 'hereditary bonded labour', a social justice possibly never done before in the country.The Puri district administration is currently preparing 'certificates' to be handed over to these men of barber caste from Bramhagiri area, who were bound by the age-old practice of what is locally called 'Bartan'.
The practice mandated them to wash the feet of guests during social functions in villages in lieu of about 15 kgs of paddy per annum.  read more »

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kandhamal-kids-continue-to-languish-for-relief/171016-60-117.html
BHUBANESWAR: Even after three years, riot-hit children of Kandhamal district continue to languish sans help of any kind from the State Government. Immediately after the riots in 2008, children of the affected families were forced to drop out of schools and many of them turned child labourers. Many children along with their families migrated to other districts and states. There was allegedly no protection, no access to education and care provided to such children. These appalling facts and many other issues pertaining to children in Kandhamal were raised at a State-level public hearing on child labour and other child rights issues by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) here on Wednesday. Activist Mahendra Parida presented a survey report on the plight of children of Kandhamal by National Solidarity Forum and Integrated Rural Development for Weaker Sections in India (IRDWSI) before the Commission. He also presented a database of 1,500-odd riot-hit children which he had submitted to the NCPCR and the State Women and Child Welfare Department. He, however, alleged that the department is yet to take any action on it.  read more »

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Orissa-pogroms:-police-clear-Christians-from-the-death-of-Hindu-religious-leader-21532.html

Pogrom in Orissa, la polizia scagiona i cristiani per la morte dello swami indù
by Nirmala Carvalha
They were the Maoists to kill Laxmanananda Saraswati in August 2008: This is the conclusion of the investigation, brought to a 14-member ultra-leftist. The murder, of which the Hindu radicals have falsely accused the Christians, has sparked great violence. At least 100 Christians were killed, tens of thousands displaced, hundreds of churches destroyed or vandalized.  read more »

Place: Phulbani (Orissa)
Two persons were sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment by a fast track court today for killing of a man and a woman during the 2008 communal riots in Orissa's Kandhamal district.  read more »