Zeenews Bureau
Kolar, Sept 17: Communal violence continues unabated in Karnataka. In fresh incident of violence, a mob on Wednesday attacked a church damaging property in the state’s Kolar district. The situation is tense and the security has been stepped up.
Meanwhile the New Life Sect has refuted Bajrang Dal accusations, which resulted in the ongoing violence, that it had circulated pamphlets, which questioned the existence of Hindu Gods.
Ironically, today’s incident comes a day after Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Tuesday said that strict action will be taken against those responsible for attack on churches and added that everyone is free to profess his or her religion.
Meanwhile, the police cane charged the protesters belonging to fringe Hindu group Shri Ram Sena during the bandh organised by them on Tuesday.
Interestingly, the Bajrang Dal has distanced itself from the bandh and has stated that it has no association with the Shri Ram Sena.
However, nearly 40 people have been injured in clashes since Sunday.
On Monday, police burst teargas shells and cane-charged to disperse the members of the Christian community, after their protest against attacks on prayer halls in the state allegedly turned violent.
The protesters pelted stones at the police near Kulasekhara church in the heart of the city, said the police, adding that they burst teargas shells and used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Similar protests were also reported from Shaktinagar, Vamanjur, Tokkotu and Bantwal, police said.
Situation was tense in the city as several shops and business establishments remained closed fearing violence.
Till now 53 persons have been arrested in connection with attacks on churches.
It may be noted that on Sunday, the BJP ruled state witnessed attacks on 14 churches by miscreants, suspected to be Bajrang Dal activists, to protest against alleged forcible conversion of Hindus into Christianity.
Twenty five people including 12 policemen and three journalists were injured in violent protests on Sunday in incidents of stone-throwing.
"Miscreants numbering about five to 20 riding a motorcycle barged into prayer halls between 9 am to 10.30 am and went on a rampage," said AM Prasad, a senior police official.
Prasad said nine churches belonging to Pentecostal and Catholic faiths were the target of attacks in Dakshina Kannada district and three each in Udupi and Chikmagalur district.
The places where the attacks occurred include Kodiabail, Milagis church, Kankanady, Mastikatte, Shaktinagar, Mehana, Mudantyar, Uppinangady (Dakshina Kannada district), Byndoor, Maddur Halli, Udupi town (Udupi district), Jayapura, Singatage and Magodu (Chikmagalur district).
The district administration in Dakshina Kannada has clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 for three days as a precautionary measure.
The attacks, coming even as fresh sectarian violence were reported in Orissa, has shaken the people and drawn a sharp reaction from the opposition Congress, which blamed the BJP government for the incidents and demanded the resignation by the state Home Minister Dr V S Acharya.
Opposition Congress leader in the state assembly M Mallikarjun Kharge has alleged that the incidents had brought to the fore, the `hidden agenda` of BJP and that the Gujarat model of rule has come into place in Karnataka.
According to Bajrang Dal sources, these are coordinated attacks against conversion and not a single Catholic church was attacked. Only prayer halls belonging to the New Life Sect in southern Karnataka were attacked.
