GCIC registers protest on NCM apathy on Kandhamal violence

Bhubaneswar, Jan 9 (UNI) The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) today registered protest against the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) team for not visiting the affected areas of communal violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district.

GCIC President Sajan Kumar George in a release here stated that the NCM has failed to take stock of the condition of the victims, who were staying in the relief camps as they feared to return to their villages.

He said the NCM's decision to cancel its fact-finding mission because of the difficult terrain speaks volume of its disregard to the crying needs of the riot affected Christian community and others in Kandhamal.

He further alleged that the NCM has failed in all counts in the process of initiating any visible confidence building measures to thousands of violence affected people.

A two-member NCM fact finding team comprising Dileep Padgaonkar and Zoya Hasan visited the strife torn Kandhamal on January 8 and held discussion with the officials and the victims from both the communities.

The team also met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other senior officials here before leaving for Delhi yesterday.

Talking to newspersons at the state secretariat, Mr Padgaonkar said they would prepare a report and submit it to the full Commission within three to four days.

Mr Padgaonkar said they could not visit the affected areas in Kandhamal due to certain difficulties but met some of the affected people from both the communities at Phulbani.

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