Karnataka bishops hold rally opposing Somasekhara report

To express their disappointment over the Justice Somasekhara Commission report, Catholic and Protestant bishops on Friday came together for a protest rally in Bangalore.

Led by Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras, about nineteen bishops took part in the protest and sit-in at St Mark's Cathedral on MG Road.

Carrying placards condemning the Somasekhara report that gave clean chit to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at least 300 persons joined the bishops demanding a CBI probe in the 2008 attacks on churches in the state.

Two years after the attacks, Justice Somasekhara made his report public in which he said neither the Sangh Parivar nor the State government had any role 'directly' or 'indirectly' in the violence.

Archbishop Bernard Moras demanded the state government to reject the "one-sided, totally unjust and biased" report and call for a fresh probe.

Moras, who is also the president of Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops' Council, further demanded that over 150 cases lodged against Christian youth and women be unconditionally withdrawn and adequate compensation be given to individuals and institutions that were attacked.

A delegation of the bishops meanwhile met Home Minister R Ashoka and submitted a memorandum calling for the withdrawal of cases against Christians and for a CBI probe into the attacks.

They asked for a centralised cell to monitor attacks on churches and keep the police informed to act on it.

On Monday, Christians from Bangalore and neighbouring districts will hold another rally and a candle light vigil at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral grounds.

The 2008 violence was a wave of attacks directed against Christian churches and prayer halls allegedly by members of the Sangh Parivar. Over 20 churches and several prayer halls in Mangalore, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Kolar and other small districts in Karnataka were attacked.

Interestingly, the Somasekhara Commission in its interim report had held Bajrang Dal and Sri Rama Sene responsible for the attacks on churches.