Pics: Savitha B R
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Jan 31: In his interaction with the media persons at the journalists’ study center on Monday January 31 Mahendra Kumar, former Bajrang Dal convener presented himself with different image, apparently well for all. He said sustaining communal harmony is the need of an hour, whatever the final report of the Somshekar commision, normalcy should prevail in the state as people are fed up of communal nuisance, he said. He briefed an incident which transformed him. He gave two reasons for being so. First reason was a Hindu woman who was converted to Christianity. "Her life was deteriorated due to severe poverty and she decided to commit suicide with her three children but was saved by Christian missionaries. Then he realized that life is more important than religion.
Second incident was when he saw (through TV) the desecration of Jesus’ idol at the prayer hall at Adoration monastery.
“Now my dream is to build a society that values life more than religion," he explained. Expressing his unhappiness about the treatment from BJP, he said he was made scapegoat by the BJP government in church attack incident. However he did not confirm about his decision to join JDS.
He also pointed out serious discrepancies in the Justice B K Somashekara Commission that probed the attacks. There is no need to give any importance to the commission’s report now though Rs 2 crore has been spent for the investigation. He termed the report as ‘unclear’. He said he has a problem with the sections under which he has been charged. "I should have been charged under section 153 (a) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) for my statements instead of section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. After the attacks, I never mentioned that the Bajrang Dal was responsible but it was made to appear that the statements were mine," he said.
His intension while joining Bajrang Dal was to mobilize the youth for a good cause, but at the end of the day all concepts were politically motivated’ he added.
After an hour long debates various others leaders who were also present came to a conclusion that achieving communal harmony is the need of an hour and not dragging the issue anymore.