The National Human Rights Commission will send an investigation team to Kandhamal in Orissa to get a “first-hand information on the violence against the Christians there”.

The commission made this decision after a delegation of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) met its Chairperson, Justice S Rajendra Babu, in New Delhi on Sunday with a memorandum.

The memorandum urged for NHRC’s intervention to safeguard the lives of Christians living in the area. It drew the commission’s attention to the attacks on Christians and their institutions in Kandhamal on December 24 and 25, 2007, and alleged that these attacks seemed to be a planned effort to disturb communal peace in the region.

Meanwhile, a group of NGOs also submitted a memorandum to the chairperson alleging that 5,000 people had been affected by these attacks and about 600 houses had been damaged. They also alleged that the state police had sided with the perpetrators of violence and dissuaded the victims from lodging complaints against the culprits.

“Considering it a serious issue of violation of human rights of the Christian community, the commission asked the State Chief Secretary and the DGP to give a detailed report of the injured and causalities, if any, and also an estimation of the damage caused to properties,” a release issued by the commission said.

The Chief Secretary has also been asked to specify the steps taken to provide relief and compensation to the affected persons/institutions. The Commission further directed the DGP to ensure protection to all Christians in the state.