Burnt corpses were scattered on the floor of Makeshift Church. The roof of the tin fell due to the pressure of the flames. The rain was falling on the dead bodies, some of which were still burning. Many burnt corpses were sticking to the walls, as if they were trying to protect themselves from the flames of fire. A man was lying on his back, his legs were outstretched and his arms were out above his head. The corpse of a child, whose arms were partially missing, was lying just outside the church door.
Behind this creepy picture is a date, ’17 March 2000′. What is the history of this date and what is the story of this dreadful massacre, will tell in detail. According to a report by ‘The Guardian’ which appeared on March 20, 2000, three days after 17 March, the police estimated that a ‘Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God’ church of Kanungu Trading Center in West Uganda district of Rungungiri on Friday morning More than 235 men, women and children died in mass suicide. According to some unconfirmed reports, the death toll was stated to be 470. The BBC reported that 700 people were killed in the massacre.
Only the smell of ashes and burnt flesh
People were locked inside a church in Kanungu, southwestern Uganda. The doors and windows were locked from outside. Even after two decades of the incident, the wounds of the families of the victims are still green. The deceased were part of the ‘Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God’ creed, which believed that the world would end at the end of the century.
According to a BBC report, Anna Kabirho, who lives on the mountains, survived that massacre. They have not forgotten that smell of Friday morning yet. She recalls the scene in the report, saying that everything was covered with smoke, soot and the smell of burnt flesh. Everything is filling up in the lungs. She says that everyone was just running away and the fire was burning everywhere. Dozens of dead bodies were burnt which could not even be identified. We had covered the nose with leaves to remove the smell. He told that even after several months, we could not eat meat.
Police said ‘Mass Suicide’
The ‘Guardian’ report states that the followers locked themselves in the church and immersed themselves in petrol and then allegedly set themselves on fire. The police of Uganda gave information that a mass suicide case has come in front of us. The police said that we know that the chiefs of that sect must have planned it.
According to the report, ‘The Restoration of the Ten Commandments’ sect was established in western Uganda in the 1980s. It operated from across the border in southern and central regions as well as in neighboring Rwanda. The police had a list of members of the sect, but it was not known whether they were present in the church at the time of the incident.
‘That scene was so scary’
After the incident, when relatives were called to identify the dead bodies, they were collecting their remains instead of dead bodies. Its effect was also on the hearts and minds of the people. A woman who had lost 10 members of her family was wandering around with a smile on her face as if nothing had happened. The police spokesman said that the scene was “very scary”. The spokesman said that except for two or three corpses, it was not felt that these were the burnt remains of humans.
Police and locals believed that it was a case of mass suicide. Stephen Mujeni, a security officer at the local trading center, says that I was at the Kanungu police station when someone came to tell us that some people had locked themselves in the church and set it on fire. When we reached there, there was a terrible fire. We tried a lot but we could not do anything. Members of the sect were seen closing the window doors from outside and then going inside they set themselves on fire.
Property sold in preparation for going to heaven
A week before the death, there were signs of some unusual activity. The followers reportedly started selling their property to prepare for heaven. On March 14, a big party was organized, in which good arrangements were made from the decoration of the church to the food and drink. The local people heard the members of the creed saying, ‘This church is Noah’s boat, everyone will come here in the hour of crisis.’
A villager told that followers were told that the world will end at a certain time this year. The gurus of the cult made it come true and the followers trusted them and their world came to an end. Even after so many years of massacre, no head of the cult could be prosecuted. Even if they are alive, nothing of them was detected.
Also Read: PTI Candidate Demands, ‘NA-75 In Daska Don’t Re-Elect’, Court Dismissed- ‘ECP Honors Court’
.