After 28 months of being set up to probe the 2008 church attacks in Karnataka, the Justice Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry has given a clean chit to the state government of Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, while stating that Hindu outfits, in collusion with the police and the district administration did attack churches.
In documents available with this newspaper, (not part of the highlights released to the media on Friday by the commission, where a clean chit was been given to the BJP government, Sangh Parivar and the VHP) the commission in Annexure XLVII of the 456-page report has established that right-wing outfits Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Vedike, the police, the district administration of Davangere and deputy commissioner K. Amarnarayan in particular and local panchayat members attacked churches, leading to property loss and injuries.
The commission’s findings, which came as a reprieve to beleaguered chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, fighting corruption charges, has blamed “misguided fundamentalist miscreants of defined or undefined groups or organisations for attacks against Christians and Christianity.”
In the annexure, it states that out of the 57 places of worship that were attacked, the commission implicates the Bajrang Dal in two, and indicted its then convenor Mahendra Kumar in four others.
It further says that the police was involved in at least five church attacks, while the district administration and village panchayats launched attacks and protests in four.
The Vedike has been pronounced guilty of vandalising two churches.