Somasekhara Commission didn't give clean chit to saffron groups'

January 31, 2011

Mangalore, January 31: Although Justice Somasekhara Commission report on attacks on places of worships in the state is apparently biased and prepared in the interest of the ruling government, no one should forget that it clearly mentioned that Bajarang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishath have directly involved in attack against around ten Christian centres, pointed out Advocate MP Noronha.

He unearthed many contradictions of the final report of the panel report at a debate organised by the Journalists Study Centre at Sahodaya Hall here on Monday.

The other debaters were Mahendra Kumar, the main accused in the Church attack case, VHP leader Jagadish Shenava, who is also the lawyer for Bajarang Dal in the Church Attack case, and Sharan Pampwell, DK district convenor of Bajaranga Dal.

Norohna also said that the final report never gave clean chit to the saffron outfits like Bajaranga Dal and VHP, but evaded from recommending any legal action against such groups.


He observed that political pressure seems to be the main reason for the contradictions between the interim report, which held the state government and saffron outfits responsible for the attacks, and final report, which tried to protect the ruling party and its backers in the state.


Mahendra Kumar, who was the State Convenor of Bajarang Dal during the attack against Christian religious centres, termed them as “attack against the centres of conversion,” saying that propaganda made by some Christian groups naturally provoked Hindus. He said that booklets like 'Satya-Darshini', which unleashed hatred against Hinduism resulted in the attacks.

Terming the panel report as a source of confusion and extravagant delivery, Mahendra Kumar said one need not to give importance to this report as this cannot be equivalent to a verdict.

“Somasekhara took nearly two and a half years, wasting over Rs 2.5 crore to prepare a lot of confusion,” he said.

Brushing aside the allegation that 'Satya-Darshini' led to the attack, Noronha said that the booklet was found in Dakshina Kannada at the end of 2009, i.e., more than a year after the attack.

While sticking to his stand that the attitude of some Christian groups provoked the Hindus, Mahendra declined to answer a question that whether Sangh Parivar or Bajarang Dal had directly involved in the attack, saying “Now I am not in the Sangh Parivar”

He also accused the state government of making him the scapegoat and misusing 'Hindutva' for political reasons. “There is a clear line between political Hindutva and honest Hindutva and I prefer latter to former, while BJP has shamelessly chosen the former,” Mahendra Kumar said.

He also accused the BJP of misusing the activists of honest Hindutva to achieve their selfish ends.


Sharan Pumpwell said that the Bajarang Dal does not indulge in any anti-constitutional activities and works for the interest of Hindu society under the guidance of VHP and RSS. He said that all the allegations made against his organisation and other Hindu outfits were baseless as far as Church attacks are concerned.

Dubbing the attacks as tit for tat, he said because of the Christian missionaries many families had been“ruined” in the Hindu society. To elaborate on the word “ruin”, he gave an example that age-old parents of a Hindu family had converted to Christianity, while their children are still practicing Hinduism. “Those who were attacked by the Christians, naturally responded to it in the form of attack against the centres of conversion” he added.

JSC President Praveen Padigar chaired the meeting.

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News Network
November 14,2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his claim that the BJP had offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs in an attempt to "topple" the state government.

Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, said, “The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each.”

He defended Siddaramaiah’s statement and said the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP’s alleged 'Operation Lotus', a term used to describe the BJP's attempts to destabilise ruling governments through horse-trading.

“Some of our MLAs informed the Chief Minister about this matter, and he, in turn, shared it with the media,” Shivakumar said.

At an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah reiterated the claim that "none of the Congress MLAs had accepted the offer".

He also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government".

The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.

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News Network
November 11,2024

udupistatue.jpg

Udupi, Nov 11: The Karkala town police in Udupi have arrested Krishna Naik, the sculptor responsible for installing a 33-foot Parashurama statue at Umikkal Hill in Bailur, Karkala taluk. 

Naik, the owner of Krish Art World and a resident of Bengaluru's Visvesvaraya Layout, was apprehended in Mahe, part of the Union Territory of Puducherry, for allegedly substituting a look-alike statue in place of a genuine bronze figure at the Parashurama Theme Park in Karkala.

Udupi Superintendent of Police Dr. Arun K confirmed the arrest, stating that Naik faces charges under Sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code. 

This legal action followed a complaint lodged in June by Krishna Shetty, a resident of Nallur village, Karkala. Shetty claimed that Naik had received a payment of ₹1,25,50,000 from Udupi Nirmithi Kendra for the installation of a bronze Parashurama statue. However, Naik allegedly deceived the government by installing a replica instead.

The statue was unveiled on January 27, 2023, by then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has since ordered a CID investigation to probe deeper into the alleged fraud surrounding the statue's installation at the theme park.

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News Network
November 16,2024

Mangaluru: The Kavoor police in Mangaluru, Karnataka, have arrested three individuals from Kerala in connection with two separate cybercrime cases, including one involving extortion under the guise of a "digital arrest."

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal reported that one of the arrested individuals, Nisar, a resident of Ernakulam district, posed as a CBI officer. He allegedly threatened the complainant with arrest and extorted Rs 68 lakh. A case has been filed under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 308 (2) and 381 (4) of BNS.

In another case, the Kavoor police arrested two men, Sahil K P of Thiruvannur, Kozhikode, and Muhammad Nashath of Mappila Koyilandy, Kerala, in connection with a share trade fraud. The accused are alleged to have deceived the complainant by promising substantial profits from an investment in the stock market. Trusting the fraudsters, the complainant invested Rs 90 lakh, which was subsequently lost. A case has been registered under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 318 (4) and 3 (5) of BNS.

The accused were arrested in Koyilandi and presented before the court. The operation was carried out under the guidance of City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, led by Mangaluru North Sub-Division ACP Srikanth K, Kavoor Inspector Raghavendra Byndoor, Kavoor PSI Mallikarjuna Biradara, and staff members Ramanna Shetty, Bhuvaneshwari, Rajappa Kashibai, Praveen N, and Malatesh. 

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