State hand in church attacks: Report

Less than a month after a Karnataka government appointed probe panel had given a clean chit to the state government in the 2008 church attacks, an independent inquiry by a former HC judge has put the state government in a dock.

Less than a month after a Karnataka government appointed probe panel had given a clean chit to the state government in the 2008 church attacks, an independent inquiry by a former HC judge has put the state government in a dock.

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Justice MF Saldanha, in his 308-page report, prepared for the People's Union for Civil Liberties and the Transparency International India has held chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and home minister BV Acharya responsible for allowing the attacks to continue.

This sharply contradicts the findings of Justice BK Somasekhara panel, which in its report had trashed the allegations against the state government.

"No real Hindus are behind the church attacks," Justice Somasekhara had said in his report, described as biased by the NGOs, opposition parties and Christian religious leaders.

Justice Saldanha has been scathing in his report about the state's role. "As far as the role of the chief minister and the home minister are concerned… they have in their official capacity at all times through their conduct and their speeches abetted what had happened," the report says.

The report has provided fresh ammunition to attack the already embattled CM. Union law minister M Veerappa Moily has demanded a CBI probe into the attacks. "The state government appointed panel findings cannot be trusted,": he said.

The report has severely indicted the state police for remaining a mute spectator when statues of Jesus Christ were vandalised.

It has named some police officers and recommended their suspension. "I have named some of the police officers who crossed all conceivable limits, who... deserve to be suspended, an enquiry held, and dismissed from service and prosecuted. The same applies to the then D.C., Mangalore."