Bhardwaj doubts report,says right in denying author degree

The report on the church attacks,which was handed over to the state government on January 28,has generated controversy for not fixing specific responsibility for the attacks,despite attributing blame to Right wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal and Sri Rama Sene in the course of an interim report released in February last year. The Congress and JD(S) have accused the BJP government of influencing the commission to dilute the report while church leaders have rejected the report and sought a CBI(Central Bureau of Investigations) probe into the attacks.

On Sunday,Bhardwaj said that he had withheld the doctorate to Murthy since he had seen newspaper reports where Murthy had spoken in support of the commissions report.

I said it will create a controversy if I clear it. Before I sign any papers I like to look at the issues very closely, Bhardwaj said while pointing out that he was trying to verify the antecedents of the writer before taking a decision on the award. The Governor is the chancellor of the universities in the state.

Following the Justice Somashekhar commission report,which the Governor said he had not read in its entirety,church leaders felt a sense of injustice and this had disturbed him,the Governor said.

The archbishop of Bangalore and Mangalore and the bishop of the Church of South India have questioned the report for creating an impression that churches are anti-social and for failing to fix responsibility for the attacks. At this juncture when the entire Christian community feels no justice has been done to them it is at least my duty to look after them, the Governor said on Sunday.

However,Murthy has said that he has been perceived wrongly by the Governor. Attacking any place of worship is wrong, he said.

Bhardwajs action has already drawn criticism. At the ongoing Kannada Sahitya Sammelana here,Jnanpith award winner U R Ananthamurthy said,The Governor has committed a blunder. He has insulted a great Kannada scholar by turning down the proposal to confer an honorary doctorate on him. If we have differences,let us argue over them. I have had arguments with Murthy many times. But what the Governor has done is insult to a well known scholar.