Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Nov 10: Reacting to reports that have pointed out about the inordinate delay in the submission of the interim report by the Commission, which was expected to be submitted some time back, Justice B K Somashekhara, heading the commission of inquiry probing the church attacks in the state last year, said that because of some reasons, the submission has been delayed. He clarified that the Commission has been going ahead with the inquiry process continuously, without wasting any time since a year. He was speaking at the beginning of the sitting of the Commission, which resumed hearing into the church attacks at the Circuit House here on Monday November 9.
“Out of a total of 1,019 affidavits received by the Commission in relation to the church attacks, 513 have been probed. Hearing at Bangalore, Chickballapur, Kolar and Dharwad bave been concluded. The complaints received in Udupi and the city are being heard now, he clarified. Secretary of the Commission, Vidyashakar, said that the Commission is expected to conclude its main probe by the end of December this year.
One of the witnesses and priest of Kulshekhar Church, Fr Valerian Pinto, said that he had no opportunity to file a complaint relating to the incident that occurred at Kulshekhar Church on September 15, 2008, with the police departmebnt, as the then district superintendent of police(SP), deputy superintendent of police (DySP), circle inspector, traffic inspector and other policemen were present at the spots of the incidents. “How could we have filed a complaint then?” he asked.
Narayan Reddy representing the department of police, however, contradicted the priest’s statement, by claiming that neither the SP nor the DySP were near the churches at that time. Narayan Reddy claimed that the priests of the Milagres Church and its parish council had gathered people and blocked the road near the church in protest against the incident that occurred there on September 14, 2008 and raised questions about this incident. Ibrahim, lawyer representing the witnesses, expressed his dissent at the fact that the witness is not being allowed to reply properly by hurling at him a cluster of questions together.
After hearing both the sides, the presiding officer asked the lawyer of the policemen to pose one question at a time. To a question, Fr Valerian Pinto reiterated that the district administration had failed to take proper steps when the incident had occurred.
In reply to a question about ringing the bell of the church for prolonged period on September 15 morning, Fr Valerian Pinto said that it was in connection with the special mass organized on September 15 morning to afternoon.
Assistant priest of Kulshekhar Church, Sushil Noronha, had alleged in his earlier affidavit that a person named Jagadish Shenava and Manoj were present during the attack on Kulshekhar Church. When Jagadish Shenava, advocate representing Bajrang Dal, questioned him as to whether he knows Jagadish Shenava, he pointed his finger at the advocate, who had raised this question.