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Stiff warning to Karnataka, Orissa under Article 355
Centre: Stop attacks on Christians
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 18
The Union government is understood to have taken a decision to invoke Article 355 of the Constitution and warn Orissa and Karnataka to rein in the ongoing violence against Christians. The two states have witnessed attacks on churches and prayer halls in the past few days.

A decision was taken late tonight even as a formal communication will be sent tomorrow morning to these two states ruled by the Opposition. A BJD-BJP coalition is ruling Orissa, while the BJP is in power in Karnataka.

A home ministry spokesman told reporters that he was not aware if any decision had been taken in this regard. Officials of the home ministry said a formal order would be issued by tomorrow.

Sources said there was a series of meetings in the home ministry before a decision was taken to invoke the Article. This after TV channels showed telling images of how people were being lathi-charged by the police inside churches and prayers halls. Of how young men were being dragged out and given lathi-blows.

This morning, union information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi had said that the developments in Karnataka and Orissa were being watched and the role of the Bajrang Dal in this violence was being scrutinised. He had said there were demands to ban the Bajrang Dal.

It is for the second time this month that Orissa is to be warned under Article 355.

Article 355 is a rarely used constitutional provision that typically holds out the threat of dismissal of a state government and the imposition of President’s rule if the warning of the Centre goes unheeded. It is like a show cause notice before Article 356 can be invoked.

Under Article 355, a duty has been cast on the Union government to ensure that governance in states are carried out in accordance with the Constitution. Several Christian organisations in Orissa have been demanding that a warning be issued to the Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa following the wave of attacks on churches and prayer halls after the killing of a VHP leader in the state. The violence has claimed several lives. In Karnataka, Mangalore has been the epicentre of attacks on the churches in the state.

Officials of Orissa or Karnataka could not be reached for comments. Within the ruling Congress-led UPA combine the matter was discussed some three weeks ago to invoke strong provisions. The proverbial last straw have been the incidents in the past three days.

Reacting to the Centre’s decision, Karnataka home minister V.S. Acharya said late tonight that “I have also heard about it from the media. If this is so, it is evidently a political move.” He said the state government would endeavour to maintain law and order in the state and ensure the safety of everyone, including churches and Christians in the state.