MANGALORE: Former state convener of Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar was released from the district prison here on Saturday after being granted bail by the Chikmgalur sessions court on Friday in one of the pending criminal cases.
His advocate argued he had already got bail in two cases from the high court and on that basis he should be given bail in this case too. Though Kumar got bail in two cases, he could not be released as there was one more case pending at the Chikmagalur sessions court.
Before leaving for Koppa, after his supporters took out a small procession, Kumar said he will continue to be in the Bajrang Dal and stay committed to the organization . He urged the state to arrest Karnataka Missions Network patron H T Sangliana for encouraging conversions. more
Showing posts with label Karnataka attack on Christians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karnataka attack on Christians. Show all posts
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Karnataka convener of Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar Arrested
Attack on churches: Karnataka cops arrest Bajrang Dal convener
MANGALORE: Karnataka convener of Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar was on Friday night arrested by the police in connection with the spate of attacks on churches and prayer halls in parts of the state. ( Watch )
"Mahendra Kumar has been arrested tonight," Western Range Deputy Inspector General of Police A M Prasad said.
Soon after the attacks on churches on September 15 in parts of Mangalore and Udupi in coastal regions and in Chikamaglur in Malnad area, Bajrang Dal owned responsibility for them, claiming that incidents of forced conversion had prompted them.
A day after issuing a strict advisory to BJP-ruled Karnataka in the wake of continued violence against Christians, the Centre on Friday issued a stricter one to the state asking it to act tough against perpetrators of crimes and check violence as the developments were in "breach of the Constitution and the law of the country".
Although the Centre draws its power from Article 355 of the Constitution to issue any kind of advisory/directive to states, the home ministry preferred not to go on record on this provision with officials maintaining that there was no other provision which allowed them to direct the states.
A senior official said: "It is the language and tone of the advisory which matters and makes it different from each other. The one issued to Karnataka is certainly a very strict one which, unlike other advisories, asked the state government to not only take urgent steps to control violence but also report the matter immediately to the Centre."
Strict advisories — a milder version of the Karnataka one — were also sent to Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala by the home ministry, asking them to ensure against "recurrence of any further incidents of violence and vandalism". While Orissa and Madhya Pradesh had reported some incidents in the last few days, Kerala came into the picture due to some disturbance along the border with Karnataka.
The kind of language used in the missive sent to Karnataka, however, appeared to be a virtual indictment of the state government's poor handling of the situation arising out of attacks on churches and Christians. It also mentioned how the violence vitiated the atmosphere and there was apprehension "not only within the country but also on international level". Asked whether the kind of advisories sent to Karnataka could be taken as a precursor to impose President's rule, a senior official said such advisories should not be taken as a step before going in for President's rule until the Centre asks the governor to send a report of law and order situation in the state.
"Option of imposing Article 356 (President's rule) will arise only when a governor sends a report that the law and order situation is alarming and the governance cannot be carried out in accordance with the Constitution," said an official.
Explaining the seriousness of the advisories, the official said the one sent to Karnataka was issued by Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to the chief secretary of the state unlike the other ones which are sent from the level of a joint secretary. Gupta in the missive even asked the chief secretary to bring it to the notice of the Chief Minister - a rare one as other advisories never carry such direction.
Karnataka orders judicial inquiry into violence
CM B S Yeddyurappa, who on Thursday had ruled out a judicial inquiry as demanded by the National Commission for Minorities, opposition parties and religious organizations, chose to do a U-turn.
He announced a judicial probe by a retired HC judge and said the Corps of Detectives investigation will also go on simultaneously.
Yeddyurappa, who had earlier said that the police was competent enough to conduct the CoD probe said: "A judicial probe will look into the attack on churches and the violent incidents that followed." Link
MANGALORE: Karnataka convener of Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar was on Friday night arrested by the police in connection with the spate of attacks on churches and prayer halls in parts of the state. ( Watch )
"Mahendra Kumar has been arrested tonight," Western Range Deputy Inspector General of Police A M Prasad said.
Soon after the attacks on churches on September 15 in parts of Mangalore and Udupi in coastal regions and in Chikamaglur in Malnad area, Bajrang Dal owned responsibility for them, claiming that incidents of forced conversion had prompted them.
A day after issuing a strict advisory to BJP-ruled Karnataka in the wake of continued violence against Christians, the Centre on Friday issued a stricter one to the state asking it to act tough against perpetrators of crimes and check violence as the developments were in "breach of the Constitution and the law of the country".
Although the Centre draws its power from Article 355 of the Constitution to issue any kind of advisory/directive to states, the home ministry preferred not to go on record on this provision with officials maintaining that there was no other provision which allowed them to direct the states.
A senior official said: "It is the language and tone of the advisory which matters and makes it different from each other. The one issued to Karnataka is certainly a very strict one which, unlike other advisories, asked the state government to not only take urgent steps to control violence but also report the matter immediately to the Centre."
Strict advisories — a milder version of the Karnataka one — were also sent to Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala by the home ministry, asking them to ensure against "recurrence of any further incidents of violence and vandalism". While Orissa and Madhya Pradesh had reported some incidents in the last few days, Kerala came into the picture due to some disturbance along the border with Karnataka.
The kind of language used in the missive sent to Karnataka, however, appeared to be a virtual indictment of the state government's poor handling of the situation arising out of attacks on churches and Christians. It also mentioned how the violence vitiated the atmosphere and there was apprehension "not only within the country but also on international level". Asked whether the kind of advisories sent to Karnataka could be taken as a precursor to impose President's rule, a senior official said such advisories should not be taken as a step before going in for President's rule until the Centre asks the governor to send a report of law and order situation in the state.
"Option of imposing Article 356 (President's rule) will arise only when a governor sends a report that the law and order situation is alarming and the governance cannot be carried out in accordance with the Constitution," said an official.
Explaining the seriousness of the advisories, the official said the one sent to Karnataka was issued by Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to the chief secretary of the state unlike the other ones which are sent from the level of a joint secretary. Gupta in the missive even asked the chief secretary to bring it to the notice of the Chief Minister - a rare one as other advisories never carry such direction.
Karnataka orders judicial inquiry into violence
CM B S Yeddyurappa, who on Thursday had ruled out a judicial inquiry as demanded by the National Commission for Minorities, opposition parties and religious organizations, chose to do a U-turn.
He announced a judicial probe by a retired HC judge and said the Corps of Detectives investigation will also go on simultaneously.
Yeddyurappa, who had earlier said that the police was competent enough to conduct the CoD probe said: "A judicial probe will look into the attack on churches and the violent incidents that followed." Link
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Church in India Under Attack: Police incited attacks on Christians
A fact-finding team assessing attacks against Christians in Karnataka has held the state government “directly responsible for allowing violence to spread”.
“The Bajrang Dal’s role has been established and we’d apprise the Centre of our findings,” Josh said.The team’s investigations revealed that first churches and schools were attacked, said Harcharan Singh Josh, the fact-finding team and National Commission for Minorities (NCM) member. These attacks were “followed by male policemen beating up innocent women and children (as) the top state officials and ministers remained mute spectators”
Girija Vyas, another team member and chairperson of the National Commission for Women, said the state police’s role was “shocking and shameful”. During its tour of the worst-affected district, Mangalore, the team concluded that “there was no law and order in the state”.
Church in India Under Attack: Police incited attacks on Christians
“The Bajrang Dal’s role has been established and we’d apprise the Centre of our findings,” Josh said.The team’s investigations revealed that first churches and schools were attacked, said Harcharan Singh Josh, the fact-finding team and National Commission for Minorities (NCM) member. These attacks were “followed by male policemen beating up innocent women and children (as) the top state officials and ministers remained mute spectators”
Girija Vyas, another team member and chairperson of the National Commission for Women, said the state police’s role was “shocking and shameful”. During its tour of the worst-affected district, Mangalore, the team concluded that “there was no law and order in the state”.
Church in India Under Attack: Police incited attacks on Christians
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Behind the attack on Mangalore Christians
Booklet by convert fuels Mangalore unrest BR Srikanth, Hindustan TimesMangalore, September 17, 2008 First Published: 00:18 IST(17/9/2008)Last Updated: 00:22 IST(17/9/2008)
The precipitating cause that led to the attacks on churches and prayer halls in this coastal hub and its adjoining districts was a controversial booklet written by a recent local convert to Christianity which made offensive references to Hindu gods comparing them adversely to ‘the one true god’ of the Christians.
Bajrang Dal sources claimed the booklet, called Satyadarshini (The Truth), written by one Lakshminarayan, had been distributed to parishioners of the New Life Fellowship Trust, part of the Pentecost Mission during the past three weekends. “I joined the worshippers at the church and collected a copy myself,” claimed Sharan Kumar, vice president of the Dakshina Kannada unit.
“No true believer in Jesus Christ would run down other religions,” said pastor Donald Menezes, who heads the local zone of 16 churches, insisting none of them had anything to do with the booklet. “I first learnt about it when some journalists showed it to me,” he told HT.
As this coastal hub, which saw a series of attacks by Hindu mobs on churches and prayer halls for the last three days, remained violence free for the first time on Tuesday, Home Minister V. S. Acharya, who visited the area, declared he would take action against the New Life Fellowship Trust.
“But the Bajrang Dal should not have taken the law into its own hands,” he said. “They could have brought the matter to the government’s notice. We have arrested 53 people for attacks on Christian places of worship.”
Acharya, however, also insisted that Christians were engaging in ‘conversions by deceit’ across the district, a charge Christians denied hotly. “Census figures show that the number of Christians in this district declined between 1992 and 2002,” he noted.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Prayer halls attacked in Karnataka and Kerala
The Hindu Monday, Sep 15, 2008
Karnataka Bureau
Bangalore: Twelve Christian prayer halls were attacked allegedly by pro-Hindu groups in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts of Karnataka on Sunday. In Dakshina Kannada district alone, at least eight prayer halls were targeted and one person was stabbed.
Three halls were attacked in Mangalore (at Hampanakatta, Kulur and Kodical), and Nettana in Puttur taluk, Madantyar in Belthangady taluk, Moodbidri, Puttur and Permannur near Thokkottu.
In Kankanady, police prevented an attack and arrested three persons.
Thousands of Christians took to the streets to protest against the attacks.
Eighteen persons, including 10 policemen and three women, were injured in three incidents of stone throwing — two in Mangalore and one at Madantyar in Belthangady. The demonstrators pelted stones at the policemen when they tried to disperse them.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr. PC have been imposed for three days in Mangalore taluk.
The stone-throwing incident at Milagres in Mangalore occurred minutes before Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes visited it..
All the attacks reportedly took place when people were offering prayers around 10.30 a.m. The miscreants claimed the attacks were in protest against religious conversion.
Dakshina Kannada district president of Bajrang Dal Sudarshan Moodbidri said the attacks were carried out by the Hindu community.
Link
Two pastors and six others were injured in simultaneous attacks carried out on 14 churches and prayer halls by suspected Bajrang Dal activists in coastal districts of Mangalore, Udupi and the neighboring district of Chikmagalur, on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses told the police that some motorcycle-borne miscreants barged into prayer halls and ransacked them.
full story
| 7 prayer halls in DK, Udupi & Chikmagalur face wrath | ||||||
| Churches attacked, M'lore tense | ||||||
| September 15 Deccan Herald News Service, Mangalore: | ||||||
| Thousands of Christians staged road blockades in several parts of the city on Sunday, after suspected Bajrang Dal activists carried out a series of attacks on prayer halls in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts, alleging conversion... | ||||||
Police resorted to caning to disperse the protesters, including nuns and women, in the evening near Milagres Hall complex, while a few people threw stones at the police. In the melee, some were hurt and a few vehicles damaged. The district administration has clamped ban orders in these areas for three days, starting Sunday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh drew the attention of chief minister B S Yedyurappa to reports of such incidents earlier in the day. He also talked to governor Rameshwar Thakur. The stage for the PM's telephonic talks had been set by a Congress demand for central interventions to end attacks on churches and Christian institutions allegedly by Sangh Parivar activists Full story
MANGALORE/UDUPI/CHIKMAGALUR: After Kandhmal, it is the turn of Christians in Karnataka to face the ire of right-wing Hindu mobs. Suspected Bajrang Dal activists vandalized seven churches and a house in Mangalore, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts on Sunday, protesting alleged conversions of Hindus to Christianity. Some preachers and parishioners were assaulted and church property damaged in the attacks. The police in the three districts are yet to arrest anyone. In Dakshina Kannada district, the activists targeted the Adoration Monastery just off the Milagres Church on Falnir Road. The 10-member group barged into the prayer hall and damaged the tabernacle, where the holy Eucharist is kept. They damaged windowpanes, furniture as well the crucifix. Police said the same group attempted to vandalise another prayer hall in Kankanady, but were driven back. Later, Christians gathered in large numbers in front of the Milagres Hall to protest against the series of attacks. The day-long stand off between the protesters and the police resulted in violence. Protesters hurled stones at the police who lathicharged them in return. Several vehicles were damaged, including the jeep of the city DSP D Dharmaiah. | ||||||
IBNLive » Nation
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Karnataka CM orders probe into attack on churches
Abhirr VP & Deepa Balakrishnan / CNN-IBN
Published on Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 02:42 in Nation section
Bangalore: Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has ordered an enquiry into Sunday's attacks on seven churches.
The Karnataka CM is scheduled to visit Mangalore and Udupi, where churches were vandalised.
This is the third Sunday in a row when the Christian community has been targeted in the BJP ruled state.
Attacks on churches continue in three communally sensitive districts by suspected Bajrang Dal activists.
The state has a BJP led government ruling the assembly and chief minister Yeddyurappa does not wish to send out a panic amongst the minorities.
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Sculptures and prayer halls in churches were vandalised. Terror struck the Chrisitian communities of Mangalore, Udupi and Chikmangalur in the state shortly before morning mass on Sunday.
"We had just cleaned up the place and started out when some people came and attacked the church," said Paul, a church employee.
"There were about 15 to 20 people on bikes and they left soon after," he added.
The attacks led to a bandh in Mangalore which has a sizable Christian population.
Most shopkeepers and private bus operators in Mangalore stopped work.
The state police are worried about the recurring pattern of attacks on churches allegedly by saffron groups.
The Hindutva groups say these churches indulge in forced conversions. The Christian groups are quick to point out that the attacks started after the BJP came to power three months back.
"We're not people who indulge in violence. We came to pray and we are peace loving people. The community will hold a meeting to see how to counter this," said father Willliam, the spokesperson at the Bishop's office.
The Karnataka home minister Dr V S Acharya however gives a clean chit to the Bajrang Dal.
"We condemn these attacks and we'll take action against the culprits. But Bajrang Dal has no role in this. At the same time, in the name of conversions, some people are offering incentives to helpless people and converting them," said Acharya.
Immediately after the attacks, prohibitory orders were clamped in Mangalore. Christian groups demonstrated demanding that the accused be brought to book.
(With inputs from Abbas Kinya)
Link
Missionary school-cum-church attacked in Kerala
IANS
Published on Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 14:18, Updated on Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 14:24 in Nation section
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT: The incident follows attacks on churches by suspected Bajrang Dal activists in Karnataka.
Kasargod (Kerala): A missionary school, which was also used as a temporary church, was attacked in the Kasargod district in Kerala, the police said on Monday.
The incident follows attacks on churches by suspected Bajrang Dal activists in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka, which neighbour Kasargod, the northernmost district of Kerala.
"The attack must have taken place Sunday night or early Monday morning," the vicar of St Joseph's Catholic Church Punnoor Antony said.
The church authorities found the window panes of the school smashed apart from some other damage.
As the church was under renovation, regular mass was being offered at Jayamatha School nearby.
Link
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