BJP STATE GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO RECENT CHURCH ATTACKS IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000017 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF PINR IN SUBJECT: BJP STATE GOVERNMENT RESPONDS TO RECENT CHURCH ATTACKS IN KARNATAKA REF: A) 09 CHENNAI 25, B) 09 CHENNAI 98 CHENNAI 00000017 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Several acts of vandalism against Christian sites in Karnataka over the past several days may be the work of the Hindu extremist Sri Ram Sena, the same outfit responsible for multiple violent incidents in the state over the past 18 months. The group reportedly sent a letter to a top local bureaucrat threatening action against Christian interests in India in protest against attacks against Indians in Australia. The response from the government of Karnataka has been positive and led by the Chief Minister, who issued prompt and sharp rebukes against the perpetrators. End Summary. Miscreants vandalize churches in Karnataka -------------- ¶2. (U) Local press reported that unknown perpetrators vandalized two Catholic churches in Karnataka in the late night/early morning hours of January 25/26, one near Mysore (120 km south west of Bangalore) and one in the village of Bhatkal (halfway between Goa and Mangalore, on Karnataka's coast). In both cases, the damage appears to be fairly minor, and directed mainly towards shrines housing statues of Mother Mary. There were no reports of injuries, and no arrests have been made. The local Catholic bishop's office has told us that the police response at the scenes of the incidents was prompt and professional. ¶3. (U) Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddiyurappa publicly condemned the incident, alleging that the perpetrators were both "organized" and part of a "conspiracy against the (state of Karnataka's) government." He also told reporters that he had directed the police to "act tough" against the culprits. Karnataka's Governor, Hans Raj Bhardwaj, also publicly condemned the attacks, urging the state government to take "stringent action" against the perpetrators and emphasizing the importance of upholding the Indian constitution's protection of the right of citizens to practice their religions freely. The state's Home Secretary, V.S. Acharya, told reporters, however, of the difficulties in providing security to all places of worship in the state, and appealed to religious institutions to make the necessary arrangements for their own security. ¶4. (SBU) A reporter for one of India's major dailies based in the area told us that he believed the January 25/26 incidents were perpetrated by Sri Ram Sena activists. (Sri Ram Sena, a violent Hindu chauvinist group, has been involved in a number of ugly incidents in western Karnataka, including an assault on women at a pub in Mangalore in January 2009 - see ref A.) The reporter told us that police arrested eight Sri Ram Sena members for damaging a cross at a church near Bhatkal on January 22, and that the January 25/26 attacks were a response to those arrests. A bizarre Aussie twist -------------- ¶5. (U) Local press reports claim that on January 19 the leader of a local Sri Ram Sena unit delivered to the area's top bureaucrat ("Assistant Commissioner") a memorandum addressed to the President of India warning that if attacks on "Indian Hindus" in Australia continued, Sri Ram Sena would "ensure that there is not a single church in Bhatkal." (The Indian media has reported heavily on a series of attacks against Indians in Australia.) The memo also reportedly claimed that "Christians in India are part of a conspiracy to target Indian Hindus in Australia." Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) While these acts of vandalism against Christian sites are unsettling, it appears that state officials have finally got the message on the importance of protecting religious freedom. In contrast with earlier episodes (ref B),where the state's BJP-led government often acted lethargically and tended to blame the victim, the response this time was prompt and unequivocal. The arrest of Sena leaders following the January 22 incident (not widely reported in the mainstream media) and deployment of additional police forces CHENNAI 00000017 002.2 OF 002 in the area to prevent further attacks after the January 25/26 incidents, suggest the seriousness with which the government of Karnataka is responding to these acts of Hindu extremists. SIMKIN