Justice Saldanha releases his report on church attacks

Mangalore, February 24: Terming the attacks on churches in Mangalore and other parts of Karnataka in September 2008 and its aftermath as and “state- tyranny” and “state sponsored terrorism”, Justice Michael F. Saldanha, retired judge of Karnataka High Court said that it is obvious that the attacks were “pre planned” by the Bharatiya Janata Party led Government.

Addressing media persons after releasing an independent fact finding report on the ill famous attacks, Justice Saldanha said that unlike Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission, which was appointed to cover up the unpardonable crime committed against Christian community and their places of worship, he has prepared the report without any bias or prejudice after visiting 431 spots and meeting over 14,00 people.

“There is ample evidence for what I have said in my report,” he said.

The newly released report was the outcome of a public inquiry conducted at the instance of the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Transparency International India (TII), Karnataka Chapter.

Justice Saldanha also recalled that when the Government appointed Somasekhara Commission to inquire into the attacks, Christian organisations had told Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa that his candidature “did not inspire confidence”.

According to the new report, the attacks are representative of the hidden agenda of the party in power, the BJP. “Each one of the attacks and incidents were instigated and pre-planned. They were state-sponsored and not only supported by the state but were also covered up by the state. The responsibility of this devolves on Home Minister V.S. Acharya and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa,” the report asserts.

The report also indicts the state police force for “coercing” the perpetrators of violence and allegedly even guiding assault in some places. In one instance, “the police stormed the church at Pemannur, obstructed and stopped the Mass, assaulted the celebrant priest, and standing on top of the altar, directed the assault,” the report alleges.

“As far as the saffron activists are concerned, the Bajrang Dal leader and the leader of the Sri Rama Sene have at all times boldly and openly admitted that it was their respective organisations which had undertaken all the attacks. The evidence clearly established that as far as Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are concerned, the RSS was involved,” the report states alleging “total collusion” between the BJP Government and these organisations.

To support Justice Saldanha's report, P B D'sa, the State President of PUCL, produced a few stone pebbles, each weighing between 200 gram to 300 gram, and outdated tear gas shells, which were collected from the premises of Permude and Permannur churches soon after the attacks.

D'sa said that use of tear gas shells, which were expired in 2002, on Christians who were protesting against the attacks, clearly shows the brutal intention of police. He also alleged that the stone pebbles, which were hurled at Churches, had indeed been brought from a river bank in a vehicle by police and saffron forces together. “The driver of the vehicle in which the police transported these stone pebbles revealed this truth when we contacted him,” he said adding that these pebbles cannot be found in the surroundings of the attacked Churches.