Christians raise voice against panel report; demands CBI enquiry

Christians raise voice against panel report; demands CBI enquiry

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, Feb 19:  Thousands of Christian protesters and bishops and heads of Churches from across Karnataka converged on MG Road on Friday condemning the Somasekara Commission report and demanded that the government make public the identities of the church attackers.

 

 

 

’We will fight for our human rights,” said Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore after the rally held outside St Mark’s Cathedral.

“We will organise similar rallies all over the State to get across our anger and anguish. We are all united,” the Archbishop added.

The protesters were upset with the Somasekara Commission report giving a clean chit to the State government and other authorities on the church attacks of 2008. The report, compiled by a commission of inquiry led by Justice B K Somasekara, detailed 57 attacks across the State, in which churches were vandalised and church personnel assaulted.

In a pamphlet distributed at the rally, they demanded that the government reject the report and sought a CBI probe into the attacks besides demanding protection for churches.

Mallikarjuna, a teacher, travelled all the way from Hubli to attend the rally. Born a Hindu, he converted to Christianity 15 years ago. Since then, he said, he had suffered extensive discrimination. “I’ve been troubled a lot. My own father kicked me out,” he said.

There was a common perception that Christians worshipped a foreign god, he said.

“Before (I converted), I thought there were American gods and Indian gods and they were different, but it’s all about the same humanity,” he said.

Hindu groups allegedly attacked the churches in what is understood to have been a reaction to Christian conversions.

An estimated 6,000 people gathered at the rally, as busloads of supporters were brought in from outside the city. Crowds lined along MG Road for an hour and held up signs - one read “Stop terrorism against Christians.”

“We need to give them a lot of support because the government needs to know that we have every right as citizens. We have Indian passports and identities; yet we’re not allowed to follow our religion,” said Victor Alex Prasad, an evangelist.

Bishops firm on CBI probe into church attacks

The State Government on Friday said that it would withdraw 36 cases registered against 338 Christian youths during the attacks on churches in various districts in September 2008.

A delegation of 19 bishops led by Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras held a meeting with Home Minister R. Ashok and submitted a memorandum demanding a CBI probe into the attacks on churches, withdrawal of cases registered against innocent youths and rejection of the report of the B.K. Somasekhara Commission, which probed the attacks.

The commission’s report submitted to the Government has absolved the Government, the Bharatiya Janata Party and sangh parivar outfits of any role in the attacks.

Mr. Ashok, who was accompanied by Principal Secretary, Home Department, Shiva Kumar, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police S.T. Ramesh, and senior officials in the Chief Minister’s office, heard the bishops and promised to take immediate steps to place before the State Cabinet the documents required to withdraw cases against the Christian youths.

Mr. Ashok asked Mr. Ramesh to set up a cell headed by senior police officials who could be contacted 24x7 if churches were attacked anywhere in the State.

With regard to the main demand of the bishops for rejecting the commission’s report for being partisan, biased, prejudicial and incomplete, besides being communal and propagandist, and for ordering a CBI inquiry to bring out the truth, the Home Minister made it clear that the Government had its own reservations with regard to the CBI.

“However, I will take up the issue with the Chief Minister and consult him before any decision is taken.” The Principal Secretary to the Home Department had been asked to examine the report and submit a detailed opinion, he said.

“The report has to be discussed in the State Cabinet and may have to be tabled in the legislature, if the Cabinet decides to do so. We are yet to make up our mind. Therefore, there is no justification to nurse any apprehensions on this issue,” he said.

Protest

Earlier, the 13 Roman Catholic bishops and six bishops from various Protestant denominations staged a dharna on the St. Mark’s Cathedral campus opposite the Mahatma Gandhi statue and later travelled in a bus to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s office in the Vidhana Soudha to submit a memorandum.

The Bishops then went to the Raj Bhavan and met Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and submitted a memorandum. DHNS