"If They See Me They Will Kill Me": Fr. Ashish

"They Said They Would Kill us Because We Were Christians"

Priest Recounts Terror in Orissa

Fr Ashish Missale who fled into the forests, recounts to Times, his frightening encounter with the murderous mob:

"I was conducting a prayer meeting in Orissa's Makandapur village when more than 300 Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists arrived with lathis , swords, guns, spears and trishuls. They said they would kill us because we were Christians,'' said Fr Ashish Missale who fled the murderous mob to spend two days in wilderness.

Recounting the ordeal to the media on Tuesday, Fr Missale said how one of the devotees was done to death right in front of his eyes. "They hit Mukund Bardhan on his head. They then flung him in the air and stabbed him. His cry still pierces my ears."

Armed with slides-each of which depicts death and destruction in the villages of Orissa-Missale narrated how he, along with the other devotees, fled after the VHP attack. "Children were crying and we were all afraid. We didn't know what would happen to us," he said. They spent two days in fear and unsure of their safety. Fr Missale then reached his district headquarters where he was instructed to come to Mumbai. He arrived on Monday evening.

Fr Missale now gets calls and SMSes from the VHP. "They say that if they see me, they will kill me on the spot." Filing an FIR in Orissa has become very difficult as the police are on the side of the perpetrators, Missale said.