Somasekhara Commission report: ‘Real Hindus’ didn’t do it

It took 28 months, Rs3 crore, 300 sittings and examining 800 recorded evidences for Justice BK Somasekhara commission to come out with almost nothing substantive to pin the accused in the series of church attacks in coastal Karnataka.

If anything, the commission has only played safe by giving a clean chit to the state government and the Sangh Parivar over the church attacks while absolving Roman Catholic churches over alleged conversions; instead, the commission has blamed—without naming any —fundamentalist organisations for the attacks and self-appointed, self-styled pastors who continue to be Hindus by religion for various benefits, for the alleged conversions to Christianity.

However, the most striking statement of the commission is the “No real Hindus are behind the church attacks”. The inquiry commission has by far failed in achieving its very terms of reference, one of which clearly states: to identify persons and organisations responsible for the above incidents.

The Christian community understandably has felt let down despite a clean chit given to the Roman Catholic churches over suspicions of carrying out conversions, because it would want to know who actually carried out the attacks.

But that, it appears, is not happening. An official statement from the Bishop’s office (Mangalore Catholic Diocese) says: “The report has come to the conclusion that the Roman Catholic organisations in Mangalore have not carried out any forced religious conversions, but despite this significant finding the commission had failed to suggest to the government any measures against the organisations and people who were responsible for attacks on churches and on Milagres Adoration Monastery.”

The Opposition, too, is not too pleased. It has termed the report as “biased” and “unfair”, and that it has badly let down the Christian community in failing to identify the exact reasons and persons behind these attacks.

All in all, a major disappointment, except of course for the state government which is all eager to table the report before the legislature, and is pushing for an anti-conversion law in the state.