Shivraj Patil to visit riot-hit Bangalore on Oct 14

Bangalore, Oct 14: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will arrive on Tuesday, Oct 14 to review the steps taken to control the violence, following a fresh attack on a church in Bangalore on Monday, Oct 13. The Archbishop of Bangalore Catholic church is expected to meet Patil with his petition. Earlier, a two-member Union Home Ministry team visited the state. The team, led by M L Kumawat, Special Secretary (Internal Security), held discussions with the Karnataka Police about the recent attacks on churches in the state.

The team, which includes Joint Secretary (Internal Security), Arun Kumar Yadav, met Director General of Police and other concerned officials in Bangalore.

The BJP Government in Karnataka says the attacks on Christians were 'politically motivated' to discredit the state government.

The attacks in Karnataka follow weeks of Hindu-Christian violence in Orissa that left at least 25 people dead.

Hindu hardliners claim missionaries force or bribe people to convert to Christianity. On the other hand, the missionaries, who work mostly with poor tribes in the region, deny this charge.

ANI