Dangs attacks: Panel report indicts state

Gandhinagar, Feb 4: The National Commission for Minorities NCM has, in its final report sent to the State Government, expressed serious...

Gandhinagar, Feb 4: The National Commission for Minorities NCM has, in its final report sent to the State Government, expressed serious concern over the recent attacks on Christians and their institutions in the Dangs and elsewhere in South Gujarat and directed the government to ensure safety of the minority community in the State.

Informed sources in the Secretariat confirmed to The Indian Express that the government received a copy of the final report from the NCM on Wednesday evening. The Commission had on Tuesday sent the report to the Union Government and its members also apprised President K R Narayanan of the prevailing minority situation in the country.

Earlier at his weekly press briefing in the afternoon, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, responding to a query, said the government had received only a summary of the recommendations made by the NCM to it, and that a final report was yet to be received by the government.

Though full contents of the final report were not known, the Commission in its findings is learnt to have quot;indictedquot; the Keshubhai Patel Government for its quot;failurequot; to check the anti-Christian violence in the Dangs and protect the minority community. quot;Since the report is in the custody of the State Chief Secretary, its contents were yet to be knownquot;, a senior bureaucrat said.

Sources said the final report contains as many as 20 recommendations which the Commission has directed the BJP Government to implement in right earnest to safeguard the lives and properties of members of minorities communities in Gujarat. Most of the recommendations made by the NCM in September last year have been repeated in the final report. These include the ones on convertion of Gujarat Minorities Board into an autonomous corporation and creation of a separate Minorities Welfare Department in the Sachivalaya.

quot;The government may act on the final report only after studying it thoroughly. Before acting on the NCM8217;s report, it will be placed in the State Assembly, along with an action taken report to be prepared by the government and also reasons, if any, for not accepting certain recommendations of the Commission will be known to the Housequot;, a bureaucrat explained.