By Nirmala Carvalho
A delegation of bishops from Karnataka led by the Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras, and the Bishop of Mangalore Aloysius Paul D’Souza met Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda and urged him to withdraw all pending cases against some young Christians.
Archbishop Moras and the president of the United Christian Forum of Karnataka have demanded that the cases should be withdrawn at the earliest possible because 150 innocent young people are subjected to investigations and limits imposed on their personal freedom.
At the meeting, Archbishop Moras reminded that Home Minister R Ashok, that the then chief minister Yeddyurappa had promised action within 45 days. He asked the chief minister to put the issue on the agenda at the next meeting of the State Government.
Gowda, it is learned, had promised Archbishop Moras and the Bishop of Mangalore, that he would withdraw the cases against the Christians as soon as possible. Sadananda Gowda said although he understood the anxiety of the Christian community, withdrawal of charges takes time because the police reports must be verified by the prosecutor and the government must take the final decision.
On 10 October a group affiliated to the Global Council of Indian Christians, the Christian Okkutta Bharath (India’s Christian Association) met with the Governor of Karnataka, H R Bhardwaj, asking for his intervention to control the ties between politicians, police and government officials in the persecution against evangelical pastors and their flocks in the State.
“After open and dare-devil attacks against us throughout the state during the last three and odd years, now the same fanatics use subtler and more cunning methods to undermine and subjugate Christians in the state, allegedly because of forcible and fraudulent conversions of Hindus to Christianity,” the delegation expressed in a memorandum to the Governor.
According to the association, the police is an accomplice of the fanatics, “selecting Christian targets and their congregations in some areas of the state.” Asia News | Read more
Get the latest news from India | Read latest Christian news headlines
