CCBI News

Mumbai, 30-01-2011 (CSF): The CSF, a Mumbai-based national community advocacy NGO takes strong exception to the Justice BK Somasekhara Commission Report on the anti-Christian attacks in Karnataka submitted to Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. Justice BK Somasekhara reportedly is a classmate of the CM and so the report can hardly be expected to be unbiased! It has been presented after 28 months and 9 extensions, serving no purpose, other than obliging his political masters. This also becomes clear from the fact that after the interim report pointed out to elements of various Hindutva outfits, the state government sought to wind up The JBKS Commission and later rescinded the order, after Justice BK Somasekhara’s protests. Does it take much to read between the lines and expect anything else, from such a report? The CSF however, takes the opportunity to urge the Karnataka Government to withdraw hundreds of cases falsely foisted on Christians and also give adequate compensation to those affected. This has not happened despite repeated promises by BS Yeddyurappa and Dr. VS Acharya, the home minister. Even The JBKS Commission admits – “The government and administration did not treat the Christian protesters sympathetically. The compensation is too meager and contemptuous”. This shows the seriousness of the BJP Government towards the plight of Christians, being persecuted for their faith in Karnataka. An independent enquiry by Retd. High Court Judge, Michael Saldanha and civil society fact-finding teams, including one co-ordinated by The CSF and prominent persons like Mahesh Bhat, Teesta Setalvad, etc. have all reached diametrically opposite conclusions. The CSF therefore rejects the report, which is full of lies and gives a clean chit to the perpetrators of the crimes. The JBKS Commission says that conversions “were not necessarily by compulsions or fraud or coercion, but definitely by inducements” which is shocking. In a sense, it only rubs salt into our wounds and is an exercise to whitewash the culpability of the powers-that-be in Karnataka, which has seen a rapid rise in communalism, after the right wing BJP came to power.