Nine witnesses depose before Somasekhara Commission

The Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry on Monday recorded the statements of nine witnesses in connection to last year's violence against Christians in Karnataka.

Among the nine that deposed before the Commission was Superior of St. Cecily's Convent Sister Maria Savitha.

Sister Savitha said that despite repeated requests to the police and letters to the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Udupi district, no police protection was given to the convent.

On November 12, 2008, she recalled, a group of 100 youths barged into St. Cecily's Pre-University College and demanded that it be closed. This happened in the presence of two policemen who did not take any action, she said, as reported by The Hindu.

Retired accountant Albert D'Souza related that earlier people used to offer prayers peacefully in church. Now, they needed police protection, which was a sad and painful situation.

Prashanth Jathana, contractor, said if timely protection had been provided by the police, the attacks on Christians could have been averted.

The Commission's legal adviser SR Raviprakash later told press that it intended to complete the inquiry before December.

The Justice Somaekhara Commission of Inquiry was instituted by the government of Karnataka to inquire into the sequence of events and circumstances leading to attack on churches during the month of September 2008 in Dakshina Kannada and other districts of Karnataka.

It also is to identify persons and organisations responsible for violence, and ascertain if there was any negligence or lapses on the part of district administration in dealing with the situation.