PM convenes Cabinet meet over incessant attack on Christians

With incessant attacks on Christian community and vandalising church property refusing to die down in Orissa and Karnataka despite issuing several advisories, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a special meeting of the Cabinet here on Wednesday to take stock of the situation.

The Cabinet will discuss on the report sent by Orissa Governor M C Bhandare on Monday regarding the communal violence in Orissa over the past months and the steps taken by Naveen Patnayak government so far to curb violence.

Also the growing demand by an influential section of the UPA comprising Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Minister for Steel Ram Vilas Paswan to ban Bajrang Dal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2004; and dismiss the BJD-BJP Government in Orissa in the wake of communal violence in Kandhamal district will also come under consideration.

Some times earlier the Union Home Ministry had said that the Bajrang Dal activists were allegedly involved in the communal violence in Karnataka.

Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry ML Kumawat had said: ?Alleged Bajrang Dal elements were involved in vandalising churches, prayer halls and schools.?

After noticing no let up in the communal violence in Orissa and Karnataka and condemnation of such attacks on Christians outside India , Prime Minster Manmohan Singh personally decided to intervene and recently sought a report on attacks on Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and other states from the Home Ministry.

Pressure on the Centre is mounting to dismiss the Patnaik government and invoke President Rule under Article 356. The NCP, SP, and even Left have also joined in seeking tough action against Bajrang Dal and VHP, which they allege are inciting the violence.

However, Home Ministry had kept aside the demand of President Rule saying Article 356 was the ultimate option.

In another development, attacks on Christians have now spread to Tamil Nadu. In one of the incidents, miscreants broke statues inside a Christian school in the Dharmapuri district. The incident took place inside the ?Our Lady high School? at Mathagondapalli near Thali in Dharmapuri district on Saturday night. This was the fifth attack on church property in Tamil Nadu.

Hard-line Hindu groups like VHP and Bajrang Dal claim that Christian missionaries are engaged in forceful conversion and even luring the tribal Hindus towards Christianity by providing financial aid to them. To the contrary, missionaries say lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape discrimination of the rigid caste-system.

The violence broke out in Orissa soon after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati. The extreme Hindu groups blamed the hand of Christians behind the killing and started attacking the minority and their institutions in which 35 lives so far has been claimed.