Mangalore Church attacks: Acharya Promises Withdrawal of Cases against Christians
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Oct 29: Karnataka’s home minister Dr V S Acharya has promised to withdraw cases registered against Christian youth in connection with the series of attacks against Churches in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi districts and other places last year.
He made the promise after receiving a memorandum seeking withdrawal of cases and issue necessary directions to the Corps of Detectives (CoD) and Inspector General of Police to file `B’ reports for closure by a delegation led by International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations (IFKCA) Ronald Colaco, which was strongly supported by BJP’s Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and former union minister Dhananjaya Kumar, state government’s special representative in Delhi and four-term MP from Mangalore.
Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA) chairman Charles Gomes and its former chairman Valerian R Fernandes and Gabriel Vaz, former Political Editor of The Economic Times, Bangalore and Special Correspondent of Daijiworld in Bangalore, were part of the delegation. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s legal adiviser K Diwakara was also present on the occasion when the delegation on the home minister at his official residence.
Pointing out that the government was fully aware of the background and special circumstances, Dr Acharya said any decision on withdrawal of cases can be taken only after the B K Somashekar judicial inquiry commission, instituted by the government to probe all incidents of church attacks in the state, submitted its report. The charge-sheets must also be filed before the state cabinet can take any decision on withdrawal of cases, he said.
The home minister, however, made it clear that the government expected the Somashekar commission to submit its interim report by the end of this month. ``There is no question of extending the term of the commission beyond another three months, which is the maximum duration that can be given,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, official sources mentioned that the government was unhappy with the unduly delay and heavy expenditure incurred by the commission. While the Jagannath Shetty commission that probed the Haveri police firing against farmers agitating over the scarcity of fertilisers and agricultural seeds soon after the BJP’s government came to power in May last year had already submitted its final report incurring an expenditure of less than Rs 25 lakh, the expenditure on the Somashekar commission instituted to probe into the church attack cases and other related issues as more than Rs 1.25 crore without any result, the sources said.
The IFKCA and FKCA delegation led by Ronald Colaco and Charles Gomes, in its memorandum, impressed upon the home minister the urgency of withdrawal of cases registered against Christian youth. ``This would enable the Christian youth and the community to live as peace-loving and law-abiding citizens apart reassuring their safety, security and dignity,’’ the memorandum said reminding Dr Acharya his promise during the FKCA Day celebrations held at St Joseph’s Boys School grounds in Bangalore on February 1 this year in the presence of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras.
The memorandum reminded the government of the role of Christian community in the field of education, social service and healthcare, especially treatment of leprosy patients, orphans and mentally retarded people and other destitute. The well-planned and systematic attacks against churches and the wanton destruction and desecration of statues, holy books and religious vestments and other religious symbols in Mangalore, Kuloor, Udupi, Kundapur, Karkal, Mudabidri, Belthangady, Kodikal, Chikmagalur, Koppa, Balehonnur, Bangalore and other places on September 14, 2008 and subsequently had deeply hurt the Christians.
"After witnessing or learning about the horrifying persecution, that too after a prolonged and persistent harassment, attacks on priests and nuns and places of worship, which had angered the Christians, who on earth can remain quiet and calm bearing the pain and insult?,’’ the memorandum asked pointing out that some of the hurt people ``came out on the streets to express their sorrow and anguish’’ and demanded immediate action and arrest of the miscreants. ``Is this wrong and a crime?,’’ it asked.
The memorandum also took strong exception to the partisan or ineffective role of police, who went to the extent of entering the churches, residences of priests and nuns as also convent schools, dragging and mercilessly beating people as if they were hardcore criminals and terrorists. It also sought to debunk the bogey of conversion, which is conveniently used to persecute Christians, and made it clear that ``there can only be voluntary and self-desired conversion from one religion to another’’ but no forced conversion.
"The Christian population accounts for barely 2% of the country’s total population as per the 2001 census. If the Christians were to resort to conversions through their tens of thousands of educational and other institutions, managed by missionaries, priests and nuns, some of which being 130 or 140 year old, the Christian population should have touched at least 50% assuming conversions of 1% or 2% every year and would not have come down from 2.43% to 2.25% in 2001,’’ the memorandum said.
Even if some people have voluntarily converted from Hinduism to Christianity, the memorandum said there have cases of Christians embracing Hinduism or other groups or following Rajneesh, Sathya Sai Baba, Hare-Rama-Hare-Krishna, ISKON and other movements besides helping in the building of temples, schools and other institutions. ``Let us understand each other better, live in peace, dignity and communal harmony and work unitedly to transform the country into an economic super power,’’ it added.