Govt criticized for not protecting minorities

(September 30, 2010) The Karnataka Human Rights Commission in southern India has warned people against attacking Christians and their places of worship on allegations of forced religious conversions. The commission on Tuesday, September 28 said that no one is permitted to attack places of worship and harm people. “It is for the rule of the land to decide if there are any cases of forced religious conversion,” said Justice S. R. Nayak, chairman of the commission. Hindu extremists launched attacks on Christians and their institutions in September 2008, three months after the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Karnataka state. The Hindus alleged that some Christian leaflets had contained derogatory remarks about Hinduism and its gods. Christians constitute 1.9 per cent of the state’s total population of 53 million people. The commission criticized the state government for not doing enough to protect minority communities such as Christians and Muslims. “It shouldn’t just issue circulars but also show results,” Nayak said, adding that just making a few arrests is inadequate. The commission directed the state administration to send within two months a detailed report on attacks on places of worship from 2007 to 2010 and the outcome of the investigation and prosecution. Meanwhile, Sajan K. George, president of ecumenical Global Council of Indian Christians, said the commission’s decision, if implemented in earnest, would “be good for the Christian community in the state.”