Kannada report on church attacks to be released soon

Kannada report on church attacks to be released soon

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 8, 2011: Justice Michael Saldanha, the Karnataka state president of AICC, said that the Kannada translation of his investigative report on the church attacks of 2008 will be released in the twin districts by this month end. He was addressing reporters at a press conference held at Hotel Woodland on Nov 8 Tuesday. 

He also informed the press that thousands of CDs are sold in Calcutta and Delhi and that he will publish the response of the presidents of USA, UK, and France to his report soon.

He said that that rich people and ministers are getting anticipatory bail, but people who threw stones during the attack have been languishing in jail for the past three-and-a-half years. 

Further, he said that he wouldn’t like to label the attacks as “church attacks,” but would like to label them as violence directed against the minorities. Commenting on the recent attack on St. Alphonsa Church in Kankanady, he said that the accused, even if he was drunk or insane, would have not have chosen a church to vandalize and would have attacked any religious place. He urged the government to take stern action against the accused. 

Stating that minorities are interested in economic development and harmony, and not violence, he said that the state government was least bothered about investigating this attack and has failed even to identify the culprits. The victims, who are in jail for the past three-and-a-half years cannot afford legal help, he added. He also urged the government to take action on the accused based on his report. 

Stating that ministers who are arrested get admitted into hospitals instead of going to jail and that even if they go to jail, they enjoy facilities such as air conditioned rooms, he wanted to know who funds all these special facilities for the accused. 

PUCL President P. B. D’Sa, Augustine Rodrigues, and Roshan Lobo were also present.