Christians reject Somasekhara report, demand CBI probe

Christians reject Somasekhara report, demand CBI probe

MToday News

Bangalore, Feb 5 : Unanimously rejecting the Somasekhara report, absolving BJP and Sangh Parivar from the attacks on churches and prayer halls in several places in Karnataka in 2008, the Christian community in the state today demanded a CBI probe into the strikes.

Expressing "deep hurt" and "anguish" over the report, the Archbishop of Bangalore Archdiocese Fr Bernard Moras said, "It has failed to address the terms of reference of the Commission and has failed to do justice to the Christian community."

He also demanded that the state government initiate a CBI probe into the attacks.
"We will make a representation to the government putting forth our demand. We will make a representation to the chief minister, the governor, various organisations including the Human Rights and the Central government," he told reporters here.

Depending upon the response, Moras said the community members will chalk out their next plan of action.

Terming the report as "highly communal", "propagandist" and "divisive", he said, "The church attacks were an attempt to defame the community by some vested interest forces and to divide the state into majority and minority by attributing certain stereotypes to the community."

Moras said though the report stated some attacks to be "deliberate, well-planned, communal, antagonism with fundamentalism brewing since several years", it failed to identify the persons and organisations behind them.

He said despite being a mere 2.1 per cent of the total population, the Christians were accused of mass conversion."While upholding the right to practice, profess and propagate religion in accordance with the tenets of our constitution, we denounced the agenda of vested interest groups to malign the community using conversion as a device," he said.

Condemning the recommendation of the report that Christian places of worship should be brought under some legislation and stringent financial check and audit of pastors to control churches, he said, "It creates an impression that churches are anti-social institutions."



Former SP speaks of Bajrang Dal role in church attacks

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, August 21: The former Superintendent of Police Dakshina Kannada district N. Satheesh Kumar has testified to the role of Bajrang Dal activists in some of the attacks on churches in Mangalore in his deposition before B.K. Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry probing attacks in 2008.


This gains significance in the light of an earlier deposition by the former Bajrang Dal leader Mahendra Kumar in which he vehemently denied any role in the attacks.

In response to questions on the attack on Adoration Monastery on September 14, 2008, Mr. Satheesh Kumar said that the attacks were done by pro-Hindus which might include Bajrang Dal, Sri Rama Sene and other organisations.


“As per the complaints and initial investigations, it was Bajrang Dal activists who were responsible for such attacks,” he said.

Mr. Satheesh Kumar said that a group of 10 to 15 people had attacked Adoration Church and “such persons may belong to Bajrang Dal.”


State police involved in Church attack: Justice Saldanha Report

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 03: The police, the state government, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were absolved of all blame by a recent report on the attacks on churches in 2008 in Karnataka.

 

But another report, by a former judge of the Karnataka High Court, concludes the opposite.

Justice MF Saldanha conducted an independent inquiry and says the state police was involved in the attacks, and that the then Bajrang Dal state leader, Mahendra Kumar, says he was asked to carry out the attacks by government representatives. Justice Saldanha quoted an interview given by Mahendra Kumar to a newspaper.