Sudipto Mondal / The Hindu
Mangalore, Sep 16: District in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar had this to say on Monday about the press conference held on Sunday where leaders of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad claimed responsibility for the attacks on Christian prayer halls in the State: “I have not heard anything of that sort. If I have not seen through my own eyes how can I take action against anybody?”
At a press conference on Sunday, Mahendra Kumar, State president of Bajrang Dal, warned the Christian community against coming out in protest against the attacks on prayer halls conducted by his organisation’s cadre.
Warning of more such attacks, Mr. Kumar said: “Christians should not feel hurt by the attacks. If they do, we will conclude that they support the kind of institutions that have been involved in conversion of Hindus to Christianity. Then, we will be left with no option but to take action.”
Sharing the platform with Mr. Kumar was the Mangalore division president of the VHP M.B. Puranik. He said: “A strong protest is planned under the leadership of the Bajrang Dal which has the backing of the VHP.”
“Our hands are tied,” a senior police official who was heading a police squad attempting to restore peace in the city lamented, when he was asked about why no Bajrang Dal and VHP leaders had been arrested in the district.
At several places on Monday, the police and members of the media were attacked with stones by people protesting against the attacks against Christian prayer halls.
At the St. Sebastian Church in Permanur area of Ullal, people shouted slogans against the police and showered a hail of stones at them for their failure to arrest the leaders of the Bajrang Dal. The angry crowds also targeted presspersons with stones and alleged that the media had acted in a partisan manner.
The same trend was witnessed at the Holy Cross Church at Kulashekhara, St. Joseph’s at Vamanjoor and a church in the Phajir area on the outskirts of the city.
Minutes before this stone-pelting incident, the Superintendent of Police N. Sateesh Kumar, local MLA U.T Khader and priests of the church were involved in peace parleys.