Panel gives clean chit to Sangh,govt

A Commission set up to probe a series of attacks in September 2008 on churches in Karnataka,mainly in Mangalore,has exonerated the Sangh Parivar,the ruling BJP,police and politicians of involvement.

A Commission set up to probe a series of attacks in September 2008 on churches in Karnataka,mainly in Mangalore,has exonerated the Sangh Parivar,the ruling BJP,police and politicians of involvement .

In its final report given to the state government on Friday,the commission,headed by Justice B K Somasekhara,has contradicted its own prima facie report issued in February 2010 where it said it had got the impression that top police officers and the district administration and other authorities colluded with members of the Bajrang Dal and Sree Rama Sene directly or indirectly in attacking the churches.

In the report,the commission said the attacks were carried out by misguided fundamentalist miscreants who presumed they would be protected by the party in power….

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The commission acknowledged that some of the attacks were deliberate,that there were instances of misuse of power by the local administration in some places and that police action against protesting Christians was excessive in some cases.

It,however,added that attacks were blown out of proportion in some cases and that impression of collusion of police and administration with attackers has no merit.

The impression and allegation that the present ruling government is cold shouldering the interest of the Christian community and trying to suppress them for political ends has no basis, it said.

The Bajrang Dal had incidentally claimed responsibility for the attacks and the outfits leader Mahendra Kumar,later arrested and released on bail,had claimed it was directed against conversion activities. The commission has said calls for Kumars prosecution are justified.

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The commission has,however,indicated that there is no basis to the apprehension of Christian petitioners that politicians,BJP,mainstream Sangh Parivar and state government,directly or indirectly,are involved in the attacks.

It said the issue of conversions and circulation of derogatory literature with insulting attitude against Hindus has been the recurring impression of a large number of Hindu petitioners and is being projected as the reason for the attacks.

The commission has exonerated the Roman Catholic church of indulging in conversions but has indicated that smaller groups were responsible. Therefore,the panel found merit in suggestions for laws to regulate splinter Christian groups,for registration of members of groups like Bajrang Dal and financial checks and audits on Pastors and their sources of funds.

The opposition Congress and JD(S),which had welcomed the interim report,have accused the BJP government of influencing the commission into changing its stand.

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Following the interim report,BJP state president K S Eshwarappa and then home minister V S Acharya had attacked the commission for publicly releasing prima facie findings.

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