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CPI(M): Centre silent on violence in Karnataka

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Strongly condemning the continuing violence against Christian minorities in Karnataka, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday charged the Central government with being a silent spectator to an assault on the Constitution.

In a statement, the party Polit Bureau said it was a matter of deep concern that instead of controlling the violence against the Christian community in Mangalore, the BJP government in the State was patronising “criminals of the Bajrang Dal” who were spreading the violence to new areas.

“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,” the statement said.

It said that instead of arresting the culprits the State government was threatening members of the community who were protecting the churches and subjected them to brutal police lathicharge in which scores, including women, had 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 statement said.

The party said 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, called for immediate action against the organisation. “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,” the statement said.

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