The BJP that has promised ‘free’ Holy Land trip to Christi- ans ahead of elections in Christian majority Meghalaya and Naga- land States has been challenged to route the promised free pilgri- mage for Christians in the north- east via Kandhamal.

PBM Basaiawmoit senior Christian leader and social acti- vist in Meghalaya, made this de- mand at Shillong Press Club on February 22 during the release of ‘Who Killed Swami Laxmanananda?’ nationally acclaimed investigative book authored by journalist Anto Akkara.

“Let Christians find out first what the BJP has done to Christians in Kandhamal before they take the free pilgrimage to Jeru- salem,” remarked Basaiawmoit, senior leader of the Presbyterian Church and former vice president of National Council of Churches in India.

“This powerful book brings out the naked truth about Kandha-

mal. It shocks one and all,” remarked senior journalist Billy P. Domes who released the book.

Domes pointed out that the investigative book has drawn lot of national attention by exposing the 2008 Hindu nationalist con- spiracy in Kandhamal.

“Kandhamal will always re- main a blot on the face of India,” Akkara said during his multi- media presentation exposing the Kandhamal fraud and travesty of justice with seven innocent Christians languishing in jail for 9 years.

The journalist author who has made 25 trips Kandhamal showed with clinching evidence how Hindu nationalist groups con- spired to carry out the Swami Laxmanananda’s murder on the scared Hindu festival day of Janmashtami and spread the ‘news’ that the murder was a ‘Christian conspiracy’ for poli- tical gain.

The slain Hindu leader’s body was taken in a zigzag funeral pro- cession crisscrossing Kandhamal for two days inciting illiterate mobs to take revenge on Christians for ‘killing’ the Hindu leader, the author said. During weeks of unabated violence, nearly 100 Christians were killed and 300 churches and 6,000 houses were plundered rendering 56,000 homeless.

Rome has refused to budge from its stand on ending the practice of endogamy among the members of the Knanaya community. This has been made clear to a Church team from the Kottayam archdiocese which met the prefect of the Oriental Congregation in Rome recently. It may be recalled that the congregation had directed the Chicago bishop to take back those who were excommunicated for marrying from outside the community. The five-member team led by the bishops and laity urged the congregation to withdraw the direction.

However, prefect Leonardo Sandri told the team to be ‘Christians first’ and then take up other matters, as per the version given by Jaimon Nandikkattu, a team member, in a video. “Excommunicating someone from the Church is against the basic tenets of Christianity. The Church should withdraw the decision to oust those who marry from outside their ethnic background.