Church groups allege RSS hand in blasts

By Our Staff ReporterHYDERABAD, JUNE 13. Activists of the RSS have been found to be responsible for the recent bomb blasts in churches at Ongole and Tadepalligudem, the fact-finding committees comprising representatives of the All-India Christian Council (AICC), the APCLC, SC/ST and Dalit organisation which visited them recently have concluded.

Revealing this at a press conference here on Tuesday, Messrs C. Francis, national Vice-president, AICC, Rev.P.P.Johnson, State Overseer, New India Church of God, Dr.A.Vijay Kumar, president, City Baptist Church, G. Shankar, State president, SC/ST Federation, and J.Joseph Reddy, secretary, All-India Catholic Council, asserted that blaming the ISI for the blasts was a propaganda ploy.

The leaders demanded that ``fundamentalist'' organisations such as the RSS be banned. Mr. Shankar wanted the Chief Minister, Mr.N.Chandrababu Naidu, the DGP, Mr.H.J.Dora, and the Union Home Minister, Mr.L.K. Advani, to resign for ``failing''to prevent attacks on Christians.

Mr. Bhaskar Benny, general secretary, Republican Party of India, who lead the four-member committee to Ongole, said they had met the injured persons in hospital. The members were told that RSS was active in the area.

Rev. Johnson, who visited recently visited Kakinada, claimed that RSS drill was being allowed to be conducted by the recently appointed special officer of McLaurin High School, which was established in the Fifties. Over 50 Christian families living on the school premises were "thrown out" and their dwellings demolished. The school land, he said, belonged to Christians.

The leaders said the attacks on Christians and churches had increased after the BJP-led Government assumed office at the Centre. Activists of the Bajrang Dal and the VHP were found to be behind the attacks in Gujarat, MP and Orissa. Now the attacks had spread to AP. The BJP had to take responsibility since the Government had failed to check the attacks and arrest those responsible for them.

While apprehending attacks after three weeks, Dr.Vijay Kumar demanded protection to Christians, stoppage of hate campaign against conversions and severe punishment to persons responsible for the recent bomb attacks.

The Christian leaders thanked the Chief Minister, who met some of the AICC representatives on Monday, for his assurance to nab the culprits.

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Section  : Southern States
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