'The report is a cover-up and anti-minority statements made by the commission are to defame the community,' said Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore, on Saturday.
The Christian community has demanded the state government hand over cases relating to church attacks in the state between 2008 and 2009 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as the justice BK Somasekhara Commission report had failed to provide justice.
“The report is a cover-up and anti-minority statements made by the commission are to defame the community,” said Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore, on Saturday.
“The culprits should be identified and necessary action must be taken. The state should withdraw all pending cases related to attacks against innocent individuals of the community and compensation should be paid to individuals and institutions that suffered the attacks,” said Moras.
The Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops Council (KRCBC) and Karnataka United Christian Forum for Human Rights (KUCFHR), in response to the justice Somasekhara commission report, said it is “communal and propagandist in nature.” The KRCBC said it will petition the government regarding handing over the case to the CBI.
“The Christian community did not feel happy when the government proposed a one-man commission of inquiry under justice Somasekhara. We cooperated with the commission. But after going through the report, we are deeply disturbed and they have decided to reject the report,” said the organisations.
“We have sufficient reasons to reject the report. It failed to uphold human rights of the citizens by giving a clean chit to the attackers, which is an act of injustice done to the Christian community,” said Moras. “But it (the commission) failed to identify the persons and organisations behind it. Except Mahendra Kumar (the key accused), only Christians were cross-examined. All others were let off,” added Moras.
The groups also blamed the commission attributing Roman Catholic churches’ involvement in religious conversion. “Is any other church involved in the conversion? If so, let the commission identify such persons individual or organisations. Conversion is not my responsibility, it’s God’s responsibility. Proposing my faith is Christian identity, it cannot be taken away by anyone,” said Vasanth Kumar, Bishop and Moderator, Church of South India, Karnataka Central Diocese.
“The funds received from foreign countries are checked by various departments, both at Centre and state, and we are not using money for converting any individual. So the commission has given the report without knowing the basic tenets of Christianity,” said Kumar. “While upholding the right to ‘practice, profess and propagate’ religion in accordance with the tenets of our Constitution, we denounce the agenda of vested groups to malign the community using conversion as a device.
The report recommended a special census of religion and institutions and maintain record of register of religions to prevent practices detrimental to Hindu religion. Christian worship places should be brought under some legislation and financial check, audit of pastors to control the churches. We strongly condemn it as there are laws in the country to check unlawful activities. So, we do not need special regulations to check it,” said the KRCBC.
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