Karnataka Govt threatens Church attackers

Bangalore, Sep 19: A day after the Centre warned the state governments over attacks on churches and Christians, Karnataka government on Friday, Sep 19 threatened the groups leading the attacks.

Karnataka's Home Minister V S Acharya has said that they will not allow the Bajrang Dal to take the law into their own hands. This comes after reports of the Centre's warning. Centre on Thursday, Sep 18 decided to invoke the Constitution to issue warnings to the Karnataka and Orissa governments after a series of attacks on churches and Christians. This comes amid reports that members of the Sangh parivar like the VHP and Bajrang Dal are carrying out these attacks with the tacit approval of the state governments.

The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to Karnataka government asking it to bring the situation under control. The ministry has warned these states to put a stop to these attacks or face the consequences. Sources say the warnings will be issued either under Article 355 or Article 365 of the Constitution-- a last warning before the imposition of President's Rule.

Article 355, which is an emergency provision, says it's the duty of the Union government to protect states against external aggression and internal disturbances. Article 365 says that the President can hold that the state is not acting in accordance with the Constitution. This is basically a ground to act against the state.

The latest in the row of the attacks on churches is Madhya Pradesh, again a Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. Two men broke into a church in Jabalpur late on Thursday night. There were no casualties as the church was closed. Immediately after the incident, there were protests by Christians but the situation is now under control.

OneIndia News