Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (AF) - Pic Dayanand Kukkaje - Saturday, 4-25 pm

Mangalore, Apr 29: A fact finding team led by former Bangalore city commissioner and sitting BJP MP H T Sangliana visited the district on Friday April 28 to work out a solution to the circumstances leading to recent attacks on Beleivers church and other places by Bajrang Dal activists.

A press release stated that the team visited Bantwal and the Believers church led by Pastor Paulose. At the church, the team saw ceiling fans destroyed, broken chairs and PA systems and musical instruments damaged beyond repair.

They met women and children who were beaten, among them, a six-year-old boy with a broken tooth who was severely traumatised. The pastor who had lost his thumb was bruised, fractured and wounded all over. It was a pity to see a man of God lying helplessly, said the release. The team interacted with victims who were affected badly.

The team then headed to Shanti Nilala hall, Balmatta, where on Easter Sunday April 16, women and children were vandalised, threatened and beaten up.

The team proceeded to Lalit hotel in Suratkal where the person in charge of the hotel had apprehensions owing to threat calls. The people feared violence when nobody was around. The press release said that there was a clear evidence of violation of fundemental rights enshrined in the constitution. Christians being a peace-loving community have been suffering at the hands of a violent group called Bajrang Dal who seem to use extra-constitutional authority to intimidate them, says the press release from Sangliana.

The team met the district SP and explained the events and their apprehensions of terror attacks on unsuspecting, simple worshipping groups. Bajrang Dal leader Rai, was also present. At the end of the cordial and candid exchange, it was decided that a peace committee would be formed with the SP as the chairman to sort out the issue peacefully.

This was to prevent chances of violent means of confrontation. It was decided that elements must not be allowed to take law into their own hands.

This information was provided by Sangliana himself at a press conference on Saturday, Apri 29 morning in the Woodlands Hotel conference hall. District police superintendent B Dayananda and others were present on the occasion.

Sangliana went on record with a startling disclosure that nobody had been lagging behind in propagation of one's faith and that recent reports have revealed that the Vishwa Hindu Parishat stood first among the top ten organizations receiving foreign funds. While Christian organizations took the fifth place, it was not correct to blame only Christians about getting foreign funds, he added. VHP leaders and Indian spiritual leaders like Sai Baba and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have been propagating their faith abroad. While there was no objection about them, why should the Christians be singled out for blame, he wondered.