Buhbaneswar, Jan. 10, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Nearly 10,000 people from different religious communities and social action groups held a protest rally on January 10 in Bhubaneswar, the capital of India's eastern Orissa state, protest the recent orgy of violence against Christians.

The orchestrated anti-Christian violence that began on Christmas Eve saw churches, Christian institutions and hundreds of Christian family homes destroyed and looted by Hindu fundamentalists in the Kandhamal district. Police officers who had been posted around the churches fled from the armed mobs.

The speakers at the January 10 protest assailed the state government of Orissa for refusing to let outside groups assess the damage caused by the mobs. (Even Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Bhubaneswar has been advised by government officials not to visit the troubled regions.) They also urged the government to allow access for relief agencies-- including Church-related agencies-- to bring assistance to the families displaced by the violence.

The Catholic Church that accounts about half of the 100,000 Christians living in Kandhamal, and Catholic bore the brunt of the attack. Five large churches, 48 village chapels, 2 seminaries, 4 convents, and several hostels were destroyed.