Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Aug 23: N Satish Kumar, who was the superintendent of police of Dakshina Kannada district when the incidents of attacks on churches occurred, deposed before the Justice B K Somashekhara Commission of Inquiry probing church attacks in the state, that Bajrang Dal had played a role in these attacks.

Kumar made this revelation, during his cross examination, while being examined as the last witness. He was examined for four days from August 16.

It may be recalled, that former state convener of Bajrang Dal, Mahendra Kumar, had denied the involvement of his organization in these attacks.

In his deposition, Satish Kumar said that pro-Hindu outfits like Bajrang Dal, Sri Ram Sene and other organizations were behind the attack on Adoration Monastery in Mangalore on September 14, 2008. He said that during the investigations, the policemen found that Bajrang Dal was behind the attacks, and a crowd of 10 to 15 people, all of whom belonged to the Dal, had attacked the monastery.

He answered in the affirmative, when questioned as to whether he knew that the then state convener of the Dal, Mahendra Kumar, had owned responsibility of these attacks, through statements made to television channels and other media. But contrary to this, Kumar had stated that he had neither given any interviews to the media, nor had he claimed that his outfit had engineered these attacks.

“Several Bajrang Dal activists, who were arrested in relation to the above incidents, said during the police questioning that the attacks were in retaliation for religious conversions indulged in by Christian groups. Religious conversions have taken place in the district, but officially, no complaints were registered. Religious conversions have occurred from one religion to the other, and vice versa,” he claimed.

To questions posed further, Kumar said that Kalladka in Bantwal is a religiously sensitive area, where RSS leader Dr Prabhakar Bhat resides. He recollected that a disturbance had been caused there in the past relating to a meat shop, during which, Bajrang Dal activists, former minister, Nagaraj Shetty and others were present. This had given rise to disturbances between Hindu and Muslim communities later, he deposed.

However, he denied the allegation that the policemen had used excessive force while trying to restore law and order in Mangalore during the disturbances relating to church attacks.