National

Call to monitor police role

MANGALORE: A citizens’ delegation led by Mahesh Bhatt, noted film director, and Abraham Mathai, vice-chairman, Maharashtra Minorities Commission, which was on a fact-finding mission following Sunday’s attacks on prayer halls in the State, has expressed concern over the fact that Home Minister V.S. Acharya could not control the violence in his own district.

The Minister is from Udupi district.

In a press release here on Tuesday, they said: “The role of the police needs to be carefully monitored… and failing the government’s remedial action, the allegation that the violence is government-sponsored or has the tacit approval of the State, will gain ground.”

The release said the Home Minister reportedly said the government would investigate ‘illegal’ conversions and action would be taken against those taking the law into their hands. This could be used against innocent members of the minority community protesting peacefully and who are at the receiving end from “Hindu fundamentalists.”

Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum, a Mumbai-based national community non-government organisation, was part of the team.

The committee said there was no significant communal strife in Karnataka since Independence, nor was there any record of conversion by force or inducement.

Hence it is apparent that the saffron brigade is taking advantage of the change in government which is not good for the image of the State or for the country. It is therefore in the State’s and in the national interest to nip the communal menace in the bud.

Earlier, addressing a press conference here, Mr. Bhat said that if “one condemns bomb terrorism then one has to condemn mob terrorism.”

Mr. Mathai said the government should ban the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. “They are as equal to terrorist organisations like SIMI,” he alleged.

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