People's Democracy

                                                            UPA GOVT MUST ACT AGAINST BAJRANG DAL

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on September18, 2008

The CPI(M) strongly condemns the continuing violence against Christian minorities in Karnataka. It is a matter of deep concern that instead of controlling the violence against the Christian community in Mangalore, the BJP state government is providing patronage to the criminals of the Bajrang Dal who are spreading the violence to other areas across the state. It is shameful that the violence has continued for days, religious functionaries including nuns are being attacked, and churches and houses of prayer and idols sacred to the community are being broken. Instead of arresting the culprits, the state government is threatening members of the Christian community who were protecting the churches and has subjected them to brutal police lathi charges in which scores including women have been injured.

The violence and threats against the Christians is an assault on the constitution, yet the central government appears to be a silent spectator with not even a statement, leave alone any action emanating from senior government functionaries. The violence in Orissa and now in Karnataka by the Bajrang Dal in the context of the clear evidence of their guilt in making bombs and planning communal attacks calls for immediate action against the Bajrang Dal by the central government. The Manmohan Singh government has to answer the people why it is utterly failing to protect the security of minority communities mandated by the constitution.