IFKCA Meet to withdraw Cases against Christians

IFKCA Meet to withdraw Cases against Christians

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, October 31: A delegation led by International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations (IFKCA) met Home Minister V S Acharya at his official residence and submitted a memorandum urging him to safeguard the "security and dignity" of the Christian community in Karnataka. 

The memorandum mentions that the September 14 attacks on Christian places of worship were "well-planned and systematic," aimed at disrupting the communal peace and harmony of the region. In the memorandum, the Christian community states that it is angered by the "horrifying persecution, prolonged and persistent harrassment, attacks on priests and nuns and places of worship" by certain anti-social elements. The memorandum condemned the police who entered the churches and treated Christians like criminals. 

The delegation reminded the home minister that the Christian community had rendered immense service to society in the fields of education, social service, and healthcare. In the memorandum, the community assured that there were no forceful conversions to Christianity and that it was just an excuse used to persecute Christians in Karnataka. 

In the memorandum, the Christian community informed the home minister that the total population of the Christians is only 2 percent in the entire country as per the census of 2001. If the community had used its educational institutions for forceful conversions, the population of Christians would have been more than 50 percent. 

The home minister promised that he would withdraw the cases against Christians after reviewing the Somashekara Commissions report on the September attacks on Christian places of worship. This report will be submitted to the state government by the end of October 2009.