Karnataka violence: NCM Team on fact-finding mission

New Delhi, Sept 16 (UNI) A two-member team of the National Commission for Minorities(NCM) led by its chairman Mohammad Shafi Qureshi today left for a two-day visit to Karnataka to get first hand information about the attack on places of worship and the subsequent incidents.

Member of the team Harcharan Josh told UNI that the Commission had taken a very serious note of the continuing violence against the minorities and so had decided to visit the affected areas without any loss of time.

First, they would go to Bangalore from where they would go to Mangalore and Udupi where the places of worship were attacked.

Mr Josh said that during their visit they would have a meeting with the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjuna Kharge and the Chief Secretary besides calling on the Governor Rameshwar Thakur.

They would discuss with the state government the implementation of the plan to restore the places of worship damaged in violence, he said.

As many nine places of worship in the southern districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur were attacked on Sunday.

While four places were attacked in the city, three others were attacked at Udupi district and two in Chikmagalur. This resulted in a large group coming out in streets and protesting against the attack.

The NCM had already sent a fact-finding mission to Orissa, where incidents of violence against the minorities had also taken place recently.

UNI NAZ RP VC1915