Karnataka government rejects Somashekar commission report on church attacks

The News Minute | October 17, 2014 | 10.57 am ISTThe Karnataka government has rejected the B K Somashekar Commission report on the 2008 church attacks in the state, saying that it was prepared to suit the ruling BJP government.Speaking to the media on Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said that the interim report contracted the final report completely. "There are major discrepancies between the interim and final reports of the commission. The final report was a watered down version of the interim report and was clearly aimed at helping the government of that time," the Hindustan Times reported.The church attacks in Karnataka had begun on September 14, 2008 in Mangalore and had spread to other parts of the state. In the days after the attacks the then state president of the Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar and the Vishwa Hindu Parishat leader M B Puranik had claimed responsibility for the attacks. They held press conferences stating that the attacks were a response to "forcible" conversions to Christianity, for which they have not yet provided proof. Jayachandra said that the report had been referred to the Law department for its views and that the department had recommended that it be scrapped.The New Indian Express reported that the state government was committed to punishing the perpetrators of the church attacks and that the Cabinet had asked the Home Department to implement nine recommendations made by the National Commission for Human Rights. These include providing compensation, stringent legal action against perpetrators, protection for churches.