The Catholic Diocese of Mangalore, several churches, and secular associations will jointly organize a mammoth silent protest rally in Mangalore on Feb 20, Sunday to oppose..." />
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Christians to hold mammoth protest rally against Justice Somashekara report

Christians to hold mammoth protest rally against Justice Somashekara report


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 17: The Catholic Diocese of Mangalore, several churches, and secular associations will jointly organize a mammoth silent protest rally in Mangalore on Feb 20, Sunday to oppose and reject the final report of the Justice B. K. Somashekara Commission.

 

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Chprotest

 

Revealing further details, Msgr Denis Prabhu, the vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Mangalore, told reporters at a press conference held on Feb 17, Thursday that the silent protest march will commence at 3:00 p.m. at Jyothi Circle and end at Nehru Maidan, at the end of which the demands of the Christian community and secular associations will be presented to the district, state, as well as national administrations.


The huge gathering will include members of the Christian community, secular-minded people, bishops, vicar generals, pastors, priests, nuns, lay leaders of various churches, officials of a number of secular associations. People from different parishes in Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, and Udupi will participate in the silent protest rally. Moreover, different protest marches and rallies will be held all over the state on the same day, he said.


Somshekar

 

Revealing the purpose of the protest rally, he said that it is meant to be a protest against the biased final report on the church attacks of 2008, which silences all witnesses and evidence submitted by over 1000 Christians and secular petitioners regarding the attacks on Christian churches and institutions. The protestors will raise their voices against the clean chit given to the BJP government and the Sangh Parivar in spite of the fact that the Bajrang Dal and other pro Hindu outfits have claimed that they were responsible for attacks. The protest rally is also meant to oppose the commission’s recommendation to keep tight control on and check the audits of Christian churches and pastors although the commission has concluded that there were no forceful conversions. The protestors will also oppose the various contradictions of the commission, which has not recommended any control to be placed on Hindu fundamentalist groups, which are clearly against secularism.


The Christian community will place the following demands before the district, state, and national administration.


The state government should accept the truth that the entire Christian community and the secular minded people of Karnataka reject the commission’s report and must reject the report as well.


The entire enquiry on the Church attacks should be handed over to the CBI as to take action against the fundamental outfits and persons who were involved in the attacks and against the administration and departments who have supported the attacks.


All the criminal cases fixed on innocent Christians who protested peacefully should be withdrawn.


The attacks on Christians have inflicted a deep wound on the hearts and minds of all the Christians which can never be compensated by anyone; yet sufficient monetary compensation is to be given to the institutions and persons who have suffered the loss and the government should give protection to the minority communities.


Samuel Jathanna, the senior pastor of the CSI Church of Karnataka Diocese and the head of the Gorigudda Hebik Memorial church; Brother Walter Maben, the president of the Karnataka Missions Network; Fr. William Menezes, the public relation officer of the Diocese of Mangalore; Mariamma Thomas, the promoter of human rights; Fr. Onil D’Souza, the CODP director; Fr. J. B. Crasta, the secretary of the Council of Priests; Alwyn Culaco, the treasurer of Karnataka Missions Network; Raymond D’Cunha, the editor of Pingara; and many others were present at the press conference.


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