Mangalore, March 23: “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given special assurance to the citizens of the state that the central government will ensure the welfare and security of all citizens particularly thise belonging to the minorities and the weaker sections of coastal Karnataka”, said Justice Micheal F Saldanha, Retired Judge of Karnataka High Court.
He was speaking to media persons at a press meet in Mangalore on Wednesday, March 23, briefing about his visit to New Delhi where he presented the People's Enquiry Tribunal Report on the atrocities committed against minorities personally to the Prime Minister and others such as Vice President of India Hamid Ansari, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, and Union Minister for Minorities Salman Khurshid.
Justice Saldanha said that Hamid Ansari expressed deep regret over the use of violence against the minorities and particularly their places of worship and that it will be effectively curtailed.
Of his meeting with P Chidambaram, Justice Saldanha said that the Union Home Minister was concerned about the security in the coastal region and that it needs to be stepped up both externally as well as internally so that the life of people living in the region improves. He has even assured that if required, Central forces would be deployed to safeguard the interests of the minorities, as was done in Mysore, Saldanha said.
Veerappa Moily, Saldanha said, was severe on the subordinate judiciary of the region which has failed to protect the rights of the victims of human rights atrocities. Moily stated that the state government was handin glove with the communal elements who resorted to violence against the minorities, Saldanha said.
Calling Salman Khurshid as a 'well informed' man who was even aware of atrocities that took place in Ullal, Saldanha said that the Minister came out strongly against communal violence perpetrated by police, state administration and communal elements. He stated that his Ministry will go all out to enforce the Constituional guarantees and combat human rights infringements.
S M Krishna termed what happened in Karnataka as something 'intolerable' and the union government would take measures to combat these illegalities, Saldanha said.
Breifing about his meeting with Governor of Karnataka H R Bharadwaj, Justice Saldanha said that the constitutional authority appreciated the report prepared by him. The Governor feels that arrests of Christians are not justified and that trauma has been caused to the Christian community. He has said that cases against the minorities must be withdrawn and also informed that the 338 false cases instituted against the victims would be withdrawn within one month and a direction to this effect has been issued to the state government. Home Minister R Ashok has confirmd that the withdrawal would be done within the next few days. The Governor also assured that he would recommend the Memorandum for appropriate corrective action, Saldanha said.
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