2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Historical reasons
These activities took a violent turn after the year 2000 when it was found very convenient to target the Muslim community on the ground that they are allegedly anti-nationals and that they are disloyal to this country. It is an offence under the IPC to indulge in any form of communal disharmony but the offensive articles kept regularly appearing in the Press headed by a leading Kannada daily owned by some industrialists from Manipal, particularly after the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts and violent incidents in different parts of the country. Mangalore in particular, and some of the other towns in Dakshina Kannada were prone to Hindu–Muslim violence though on a relatively small and isolated scale but this was definitely a disturbing factor. Never had it happened before that the Christian community had been attacked."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Historical reasons
— Extract from the Saldanha Commission report into the background of religious tensions in the Dakshina Kannada district.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Murder of Swami Lakshamananda
Several explanations of the cause of the September 2008 attacks have been postulated. Many Christians believe that the attacks were a direct response from right-wing Hindu organisations who were targeting the people of Mangalore and the surrounding area because they had been outspoken about persecution of Christians in Orissa.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Murder of Swami Lakshamananda
St. Aloysius College, a Jesuit institution in Mangalore, and some other 2000 Christian schools in Karnataka, went on strike for varying periods between 29 August and 5 September prior to the attacks, protesting against anti-Christian persecution in Orissa, contrary to the orders of the government who stated that they were to be regular work days. Primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, responding to the shutting down of the Christian educational institutions in Karnataka, had directed the public education department to issue show-cause notices to schools that had objected to the violence against Christians in Orissa.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Murder of Swami Lakshamananda
A Christian institution in Shimoga had reportedly received a notice from the education ministry of Karnataka during the strike saying,  "The VHP and Bajrang Dal have conducted a protest against the closure of schools and criticised your action. They have submitted letters requesting action against you for this. In this context, you are asked to show cause as to why action should not be initiated against you for using religion as an excuse to announce a holiday and as to why permission to run your institution should not be withdrawn."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Murder of Swami Lakshamananda
State Home Minister V. S. Acharya explained the reason for the notices, "All Christian institutions are grant-in-aid institutions of the government and they should have had the courtesy to inform us before declaring a holiday. Their decision to act unilaterally cannot be tolerated." The education minister was backed by the State President D. V. Sadananda Gowda, who issued a statement in which he stated that Christian education institutions had committed a crime by declaring holiday without obtaining the state government's permission.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Murder of Swami Lakshamananda
However, the Indian National Congress (INC) condemned Hegde's statement to take action against Christian education institutions and the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Mallikarjun Kharge, stated that "The minister's statement is not proper. It may lead to law and order problem in the State." Bajrang Dal proponents protested with banners outside the St. Aloysius College gates and across Mangalore on Saturday 31 August, the day after the college had closed for a holiday, chanting slogans such as, "Jai Mata Di" (Hail to the Mother) and "Bharat Mata ki jai" (Hail Mother India). The closure of the schools in Mangalore were not alone; some 45,000 institutions across India had participated on 29 August in a "prayer for peace and communal harmony" in response to the events in Orissa.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Anti-Hindu activities of NLFT
Another explanation is that the attacks were an angry response by Bajrang Dal over the allegations that the New Life Fellowship Trust were indulging in forceful religious conversion of Hindus and distribution of vulgar literature slandering Hindu gods and goddesses. Bajrang Dal claimed that nearly 15,000 people had been forced to adopt Christianity as their religion in Mangalore alone in the past year after monitoring the situation.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Anti-Hindu activities of NLFT
In the book Satyadarshini, written by Andhra Pradesh Pastor Paravastu Suryanarayana Rao, it was also reported that the New Life Fellowship Trust had denigrated and defamed Hindu gods, causing anger amongst the Bajrang Dal. Hindu activists also alleged that excerpts from Rao's book had been published in pamphlets to spread its influence.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Background and cause, Anti-Hindu activities of NLFT
Mahila Parishat leader Asha Jagadish believed that the attacks were solely motivated by religious conversion by New Life and claimed that her neighbour was forcefully converted into Christianity to marry a Christian girl, further stating, "The Holy Saint School in Bangalore, where I studied up to fifth standard, did not allow me to wear kumkum or bangles according to Hindu tradition." Fr. Francis Serrao, rector of St. Aloysius College, stated that he believed the attacks were not due to conversion, but was rather a reflection of the struggle between Christianity and Brahmanism and theorised that Christian ideology and Brahmin ideology can never coexist as "Christianity propagates love and Brahmanism propagates hate."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Early attacks
Incidences of violence against Christians had been reported during the month prior to the main attacks. On 17 August 2008, demonstrators performed a dharna (hunger strike) outside the DHM church in Jayanagar, Davangere and again on 24 August at Nitya Jeeva Devalaya church, burning Christian literature in both events. No complaints or arrests were made in either of the events. Three days later, on 27 August, a Christian prayer hall and its pastor in Uchangidurga, Harpanahalli taluk of the Davanagere district, were attacked, leading to eight arrests.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Early attacks
Then on 7 September, a group of about 300 individuals attacked the Yesu Kripalaya Church in Bada, Davangere district, vandalising it and burning the Bibles. Ten people were arrested at the scene in Bada. The multiple premeditated attacks started on 14 September 2008, with some 20 churches attacked in Karnataka; of which 14 were attacked within one hour. These included Catholic and Protestant churches as well as temples belonging to the Jehovah's Witnesses and the New Life Fellowship Trust.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Early attacks
The attacks began when a group of some 15 youths on motorbikes from the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organisation which aims to achieve the "reversing of the invasions by Muslim conquerors and British imperialism", arrived at the chapel of Adoration Monastery of the Sisters of St-Clare in Hampankatta around 10.15 am, shouting a pro-Bajrang Dal slogan.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Early attacks
They entered the monastery and attacked it with lathis, desecrating the tabernacle and the Eucharist, the 15 feet (5 m) high golden coloured monstrance (regarded by the nuns as the most sacred object in the church), a crucifix, the oil lamps, the vases on the altar, and a few statues of saints. A couple praying in the chapel at the time were also beaten by the intruders. Two nuns were also reportedly injured.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Early attacks
Around the same time, a group of 30 to 35 people on motorbikes wearing masks attacked the empty Church of South India building at Kodaikal, armed with iron pipes, cricket stumps and sticks, shouting pro-Bajrang Dal slogans. Aside from damage to the buildings, windows and religious iconography, furniture, Bibles, and other Christian literature were damaged in various churches. A gang of about 30 youths had made an attempt to ransack a prayer hall of the New Life Fellowship Trust, but their efforts were thwarted by the police.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
Around 8.30 pm on 14 September, miscreants pelted stones at the chapel of Padua Pre-university College, a Christian college located at Nanthoor, badly damaging its windows. Around 9.30 pm, miscreants badly damaged a statue located in front of Carmelites' house in Katkere, near Koteshwar. The Church of St. Sebastian in Permannur was badly damaged, including its windows and furniture. The Holy Cross Church at Kulshekar and St. Joseph, The Worker Church at Vamanjoor were also damaged.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
Police reports confirmed that Our Lady's Grotto at Vijayamarie Technical Institute and properties at the Infant Jesus Higher Primary School and Mary Hill Convent were also damaged by the miscreants on the night of 14 September. K. A. Abraham, pastor of Divine Deliverance Prayer Centre at Neerugadde in Shiroor, claimed that over 25 miscreants had attacked his prayer hall, and they were reported to have smashed the window panes, ransacked equipment and set a motorcycle and car on fire. Later, in the early hours of 15 September, individuals broke into the St. George Church belonging to the Syro


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
Malabar Catholic Rite of the Belthangady Diocese in Ujire, Dakshina Kannada district, 70 km from Mangalore and burned the Bible, the carpet, prayer books and desecrated holy icons. Miscreants also ransacked the St. Thomas Church in Gorigandi in Chikkamagaluru district. Seven or eight masked men arriving on scooters were reported to have desecrated the large statue of St. Antony at St. Ann's Friary on Jail Road in Bejai, throwing flower pots to smash its glass covering.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
The official report into the attacks later claimed that the Bajrang Dal were the likely suspects for the attacks on churches in Chikkamagaluru district, including the Christian Believers' Prayer Hall, Jagadeshwara Church in Mudigere and Carmel Mathe Devalaya in Kudremukh, and had also harassed people gathered at Kapitanio High School in Mangalore. Several people also reportedly invaded the house and prayer meeting of a neo-convert in Singatagere of Kadur taluk. Other areas affected by the attacks include Kalkanady, Falnir, Madyanthar, Makodu, Singatagere, Jayapura, Shaktinagar, Thokottu, Bantwal, Belthangady, Udupi, Kulur, Kundapura, Karkala, Koppa, Balehanoor and Moodbidri.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
Individuals were also targeted during the event; in Kulur, two men and two children were attacked by a Hindu mob near Gurupur Bridge while on their way to their hometown in a private car, and in Kalladka, the Souza Textile owner and his wife were attacked by unidentified people. Two separate stabbing incidents were also reported in Kalladka, and the two men affected were admitted to hospital with serious injuries.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
On 16 September, a 100-year-old statue of Mary at the St. Mary's Church in Kolar was damaged by vandals, St. George Church in Ernody was desecrated and attempted to be burned by vandals, and over 20 vandals desecrated the Rima Worship Centre at Adyar. On 18 September, vandals shattered the glass encasing of the Mother Mary statue of the Presentation Girls School in Dharwad and on 19 September, a gang of vandals on motorbikes pelted stones at the St. Xavier's Church in Padu Kody in Mangalore taluk and destroyed the statues.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
On 21 September, a further four attacks were reported, including Brethren Christa Aaradhanalaya prayer hall near Nellihudikeri in Kodagu district, the Believers' Church in Yedapadavu, Mangalore taluk, and two churches in Bangalore; St. James Church in Mariyannapalya near Hebbal and Lumbini Gardens, which had two gold plated crowns and cash from the offering box stolen and the main sacrament vandalised; and the Holy Church in the Name of Jesus at Rajarajeshwarinagar had the casing around the Infant Jesus smashed and the statue damaged. In Banaswadi, a group were reported to have pelted stones at a church and fled.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Main attacks (14–16 September 2008)
A Catholic school was also attacked in Kasaragod district in Kerala. Between 15 September and 10 October, Hindu nationalists directed a wave of attacks targeting Christian communities in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, New Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, and Muslim communities in Gujarat and Maharashtra.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
In response to the attacks in areas such as Hampankatta, Shaktinagar, Vamanjoor, Thokottu and Bantwal, the Christian community began protesting. The protestors blocked arterial city roads in their masses, especially in places such as Hampankatta, Kulshekar, Bejai, Derebail and Thokottu and rang bells in almost all the churches of the city, calling parishioners to their churches. In Hampankatta, over 4,000 Christians united to defend the Milagres Church and protest. Violence broke out at the Adoration monastery as police began caning the protestors with sticks and bursting teargas shells to disperse them, while they pelted stones at police vans and police.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
The police were reported to have caused further damage to the Adoration monastery by throwing back stones and glass bottles to restrain the protestors. Union Minister of Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes and MLA B. Ramanath Rai arrived at the Hampankatta scene at 6 pm. In Karkala, the Catholics of Karkala deanery staged a protest on 15 September condemning the attacks and the desecration of the crucifix and sacrament at Adoration Monastery in particular and organised a 3 kilometre silent protest march from the bus stand to the taluk headquarters and submitted a memorandum to tehsildar Laxman Singh.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
The protests involved over 2,500 people and among those present were incumbent parish priest John Barboza, Valerian Fernandes, Ajekar parish priest Valerian Fernandes, Attur parish priest Arthur Pereira, Miyar parish priest Ronald Miranda, Paschal Menezes, Parappady parish priest Alex Aranha, Michael D'Silva, Hirgan parish priest Michael Lobo, Kanajar parish priest Alwyn D'Cunha and many other priests and nuns in the area.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
The Christian protestors also clashed with police at St. Sebastian Church in the Permannur area of Ullal on the outskirts of Mangalore, shouting slogans and throwing stones at the police for their failure to arrest the perpetrators of the attacks. The police arrested several Christians after firing into the air and being involved in a lathi charge. A witness in Permannur claimed that Christians attacked the houses of Hindus in retaliation, shouting slogans against the BJP government.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
Four people of pro-Hindu organisations were reportedly injured at Kalladka and Attavar on the outskirts of the Mangalore when their vehicles were attacked and were pelted with stones. Ten people, including one of the Sri Ram Sena activists, were reportedly stabbed during the protests and according to the police, the situation was used by some to settle personal scores and not all stabbing incidents were related to attack on churches and the subsequent violence in the city. The Sri Ram Sena protested against the stabbing of one of their activists by organising a shutdown of educational institutions and shops. The district administration responded by declaring a holiday for all educational institutions in Mangalore taluk, and extended prohibitory orders under the Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code for two more days in the wake of the attacks and protests as a precaution.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
Over 25 Christians were initially arrested by the police during the Adoration incident, in comparison to seven young members of the Bajrang Dal who had initiated the attacks. Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa later stated in a press conference that a total of 153 people had been arrested during the attacks and resultant protests within a two-day period and that some had been charged with looting, arson and rioting, saying that they would be "punished in accordance with the provisions of the law under they were charged." The BBC reported that over 170 people had been arrested during the events.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
However, Superintendent of Police in Mangalore, N. Satheesh Kumar, claimed to have made just 89 arrests in total. Four policemen, half a dozen people and journalist Anil Jogi were reportedly injured in the Adoration incident, and three police vehicles damaged. The police stated that over 30 people were injured and eight police vehicles had been damaged in the overall attacks, and that nearly 40 people and 20 police were injured in the attacks in total. Several of the injured were taken to Father Muller Medical College and Wenlock District Hospital. Although three churches were attacked in neighbouring Udupi district, it remained peaceful during the aftermath.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Christian protests
Many congregations gathered in their churches upon hearing news of the attacks, volunteering to spend the night there to protect them from further attacks. The local Catholic leaders demanded a peaceful bandh on 15 September in and around the city of Mangalore, and as a response Catholic traders and transport owners closed their shops and stopped their vehicles. A memorandum was submitted to the district council at 10.30 am, seeking protection for the lives and property of Christians. Prayers were to be held in all the 48 churches of the district on Wednesday, 17 September. On 6 October 2008, some 10,000 people from civil society and religious organisations organised a march to protest against the anti-Christian perpetrators of the attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
The Christian community of Mangalore accused the police of doing nothing to prevent attacks by Hindu radicals. Mangalore Police Superintendent N. Satheesh Kumar himself admitted that the police did have information that pro-Hindu organisations were planning to attack Christian places of worship in the district, but failed to do anything about it. The Christian community accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under B. S. Yeddyurappa of involvement in the attacks and backing the anti-Christian campaigns. In response to the report that the police had information, Fr.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Henry Sequeira, chancellor of the Mangalore Diocese said, "If the police knew about this in advance and still could not prevent the attacks, then we have no hope." However, Superintendent Kumar had made security arrangements near the New Life Prayer Centre in Kankanady and had successfully barred the miscreants from entering and vandalising the centre at that particular location, leading to a violent conflict with the police.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
The police were also criticised by Christians for using excessive force in suppressing the protests and aggressively subduing Christian protesters whilst failing to punish the offending Hindu nationalist perpetrators; photographs and video footage has emerged of the beating of some of the protestors with canes. Caning by the police was also reported at Panemangalore and Farangipet.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Phelix D'Souza, a resident of Permannur, alleged that the police took him into custody and tortured him and opened a baseless case against him, sending him to jail for 11 days. Lance Rego, a Mangalore resident, claimed that "many of the police personnel who entered the premises of Holy Cross Church at Kulshekar were wearing helmets usually worn by two-wheeler drivers and not the ones meant for police personnel. Hence, I wonder whether they were police personnel or cadres of the Bajrang Dal."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Another resident, Marcel Henry Ferao, alleged that "prohibitory orders were imposed on those who were inside the church compound and not on the Bajrang Dal cadres who were outside the church compound and were pelting stones". Dinal Saldanha of Kulshekar alleged that the police used tear-gas shells which were past their expiry date on the premises, and that exposure to the gas resulted in problems with her eyesight. Many Catholic women reported incidents of police violence to the Deputy Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao and other government officials, revealing their bruises, and demanding that action be taken against them.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Girija Vyas, President of the National Commission for Women (NCW), met with the affected women of Mangalore and visited various hospitals, schools and parishes in the area, and expressed concern at the way in which the police had handled the event. Two police constables, Nandakumar and Shivaram, were suspended following a stone throwing incident within Siddapura police jurisdiction, in which windows of a church had been smashed.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Chief Minister of State Yeddyurappa stated that senior civil and police officials of the districts would be held responsible if attacks on churches and prayer halls occurred in areas under their jurisdiction, further stating: "Strict action will be taken against you [the police] without fear or favour". In Dakshina Kanada district, community members reported that the administration had attempted to have Superintendent of Police N. Satish Kumar transferred.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
However, the official report into the attacks initiated by the government, released on January 2011, contradicted this and stated "the impression and allegations that the top police officers and the district administration had colluded with the attackers in attacking the churches or places of worship has no merit. The concerned police in all districts did their best and have been successful in nabbing most of such miscreants and large number of charge-sheets have been filed in various courts which have to finally adjudicate their identity."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Attacks, Reports of state and police misconduct
Mahendra Kumar, the former state convener of the Bajrang Dal, claimed that he was incarcerated for 42 days in Mangalore before being released on conditional bail by Karnataka High Court Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri on 25 October 2008, and was used as a scapegoat by the BJP regime to "save the government from further embarrassment after the church attacks and on instructions from the Sangh Parivar leaders. The police had originally protested against his being released on bail, a week after the attacks. Kumar stated that the BJP government in permitting the attacks had "fallen low on values and is engrossed in corruption."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur and Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa by phone from his Delhi residence in the aftermath of the attacks on churches and Christians, and expressed shock at the attacks. He directed the chief minister to take immediate steps to provide ample protection to religious institutions and maintain communal harmony. The Udupi district Congress committee submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner P. Hemalatha, demanding that the state government initiate legal action and punish the culprits of the attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
The Congress party opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The BJP is responsible for the attacks. It is creating social disharmony" further adding that they were "actively inciting further violence" against Christians in the state. Special Home Secretary M. L. Kumawat visited some of the areas affected by the attacks and said that the state government "needs to do more and arrest all those responsible for the attacks."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
Yeddyurappa strongly denied any involvement of his government in the attacks, but admitted that the police were to blame for not taking precautionary measures, describing it as a "dereliction of duty". He believed the attacks were a response from "some vested interest trying to tarnish the secular image of his government". He said at the press conference, "My government is committed to maintaining peace and harmony in the state; law and order has been top priority by my government.... Nobody is above law, irrespective of caste and creed the culprits will be punished".


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
The state government ensured that special security was given to important places of worship throughout the state in the aftermath of the attacks and Yeddyurappa set up a corps of detectives to investigate. He promised the Christian community leaders that all churches and shrines vandalised in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Chikkamagaluru during the attacks would be restored and paid a visit to all of the areas affected by communal riots and attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
Some politicians such as former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) national president H.D. Deve Gowda and M. P. Prakash also visited the Christian institutions in the aftermath. In February 2010, Yeddyurappa allocated ₹500 millions for Christian development projects in Karnataka in his state budget, the first time he had ever done so.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
"After my government come into power, I first met the Bishop of Mangalore and other Muslim leaders, and asked them for unity among all religions. We have to stop all misunderstandings between religions. We have to treat each and every citizen equally. Whoever takes law into their hands should be punished. I strongly condemn this act against the Catholic churches. Karnataka is famous for peace and we need to maintain peace in this state. This incident should not occur again."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
The Home Ministry advised the Karnataka government to do all it could in its power to prevent the recurrence of the attacks and to restore faith in the authorities in the region, asking for them to strongly suppress violence and vandalism and to punish the offenders. Senior BJP leader L. K. Advani, during his two-day visit to Assam and Meghalaya, denounced the attacks in Orissa and Karnataka, saying," I strongly condemn these acts of violence and vandalism. The law must take its course and the culprits must be brought to justice."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Political response
Former defence minister George Fernandes wrote to Yeddyurappa urging him to restore peace and challenging radicals to prove alleged conversions. Deve Gowda wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for him to impose a "blanket ban" on the Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sena in the wake of the attacks, remarking that it "would send a categorical message across the world that secular India will not tolerate fascism, fanaticism and fundamentalism of any colour or kind." He described the attacks as nothing but "state sponsored rowdism", and accused the Karnataka government of trying to turn the state into a "Hindutva laboratory".


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
"The church and the entire Christian community not only in Karnataka but all over India and even abroad is terribly angry and upset at the desecration of its sacred places, especially the blessed sacrament in the sanctum sanctorum, which is the Living Body of Christ. For Christians, the blessed sacrament is the most holy religious symbol signifying the body and blood of Christ. I am prepared to shed blood and give my life for the cause of Christ and Christians."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
—Archbishop of Bangalore Archdiocese, Bernard Moras, expressing his outrage to B.S. Yeddyurappa


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
The Bishop of Mangalore Diocese Aloysius Paul D'Souza stated that Christians were "deeply hurt" over the desecration of the Holy Cross and Sacred Sacrament in the Adoration monastery. The Archbishop of Bangalore Archdiocese, Bernard Moras, who met with Yeddyurappa in the aftermath of the attacks said, "I want to tell you, Mr. Yeddyurappa we are wounded!" Fr.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
William Menezes, the public relations officer of the Mangalore Diocese, said: "After consulting various leaders and based on the assurance given by Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa, district in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar, the police and district administration, we hereby appeal to our community to stop agitation immediately to maintain peace." Fr. Prashant Madtha, former principal of St. Aloysius College said in response to the attacks and resultant protests, "The retaliation from the Christian community you saw was happening for the very first time in the history of the state.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
It was not the correct response, I condemn it, but then our youth have started imitating the enemy. There is a lot of fear. We don't know when the stones will rain on our roofs. We are even scared to talk." Fr. Joseph Valiaparambil, Bishop of Belthangady, also said that Christian community of Belthangady was deeply hurt and shocked at the attacks, saying that "We strongly condemn the act. We are not violent and do not believe in violence. We respect the administration and the law of the country. We respect all religions.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
We, the Christian minority community, need protection from kinds of anti-social, anti-religious activities". The community leaders in a press conference also appealed internationally, stating "we want to bring to the notice of the world and human right commissions and authorities in Canada to use their diplomatic channels about the total collapse of law and order in Mangalore and other parts of India, and the failure of the state to protect the lives of the clergy and the minority community".


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
Joseph Dias, General Secretary of the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum (CSF), visited most of the churches attacked in Karnataka during the event and said:


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
"The vested political and economic interests are hitting back with vengeance. Christians are sitting ducks, where no or negligible retaliation expected. The Church works in areas, where even the government dares not to go because it is not profitable. The Church's education, healthcare and social services in these backward areas has empowered the weak, poor and deprived vested interests of vote banks and cheap labour. The emancipation through education, healthcare, awareness of alternatives and provision of opportunities have set the oppressed classes free from the clutches of the upper caste or rich Hindus and slavery of their political masters.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
These interests are therefore hitting back at the Christians to maintain their hold on those, whom they have been exploiting since ages... We condemn those indulging in conversion by force or inducement. Catholics do not accept a conversion, unless it comes from the heart. But the saffron brigade raises this bogey, since in believes in Geobbels's (Nazi Propaganda Chief Joseph Goebbels)  [sic] principle of repeating a lie umpteen times, so that it will stick. Another ploy is to divide us into Catholics and Protestants, so that they can divide and rule. This makes it easy for Hindutva radicals to take the remaining Christian population. Those who criticise groups that convert by inducement, must realise that an individual, who converts, will do so only if he finds his previous religion with limitations and Christianity a better faith."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
Indian Christian expatriates in the Middle East united to condemn the attacks. In Kuwait City, Indian Catholics met in Kuwait Cathedral under Reverend Fr. Melwyn D'Cunha on 15 September to voice their support to the Catholic community in Mangalore. They held a special "Prayer Service for Peace & Solidarity" on 18 September at the Cathedral auditorium. In Doha, Qatar, advisory and executive committee members of the Mangalore Cultural Association met on 17 September at the residence of Felix Lobo and denounced the attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
In the United States on 17 September, many Christian leaders from various organisations met at the residence of Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Jacob Angadiath of Syro Malabar Catholic Mission (SMCC) and announced a day of prayer vigil, fasting and a peace rally at the Syro Malabar Cathedral in Bellwood, Illinois on 28 September. Fr. George Madathiprambil, Vicar General of the Diocese, urged all Christians to "unite under one umbrella", and Jos Anthony Puthenveetil, the Regional Vice-President of FIACONA, urged the communities to unite, regardless of religions. Rev. M. J. Thomas of the Church of South India said "since many Indian Churches and American local Churches are expected to join in the peace seeking rally, this will be a history making event." Various Hindu leaders, including those from Ayodhya, also denounced the attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
Bajrang Dal leader Mahendra Kumar denied any attack on Catholic churches by his group but reportedly accepted responsibility for the attacks on prayer halls belonging to the New Life Fellowship Trust. He stated that the Bajrang Dal were not against Christianity in the region, but were offended by the alleged forced conversions. Kumar had initially denied any involvement in the attacks before being arrested on 20 September. When asked again at a later date however if he had accepted responsibility for the attacks, he denied it.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
Kumar resigned from Bajrang Dal on 1 October 2008 after witnessing a Hindu woman who had decided to commit suicide with her three children but was saved by Christian missionaries. He stated "That was the time I realised that life is more important than dharma (religion). A lot needs to be done for the betterment of life. My dream is to build a society that values life more than religion. In jail I read several literary works.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
I joined Bajrang Dal so that we could mobilise the youth for a good cause, but at the end of the day all our concepts were politically motivated." In February 2011, after the commission reports into the attacks were published, Kumar formally apologised to the public for the attacks and accused the BJP Government of corruption. On 21 February 2011 he joined the JDS, declaring, "I am today shedding the shackles of communalism to strive for communal harmony, for which the JDS is working." His successor Suryanarayana also denied any involvement in the attacks. Some pro-Hindu elements believed that the attacks were politically motivated by the main opposition parties in the state rather than being purely based upon religious indifference, especially the Milagres Church attack.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
In response to the alleged forced conversions, the VHP gave a 3-month deadline for New Life Fellowship Trust to stop all conversion activities in Mangalore. Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza declared that the Mangalore Diocese would distance itself from the New Life Fellowship Trust, stating that the "Catholic Church does not believe in forceful religious conversion". However, this was opposed by Margaret Alva, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). She stated, "Christians were a microscopic minority in India. We must put aside the differences between our various sects and come together to fight fascist forces."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Reactions, Religious response
She further described the stance taken by the diocese as "improper". Alva also objected to the peace agreement between the local Catholic leadership and the VHP in which the latter had allegedly laid down a code of ethics for the Christians to follow, and remarked that "the Indian Constitution is the only code of ethics for all Indians". An investigation in the Udupi district headed by Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), failed to discover any evidence of forced conversion. Qureshi stated that his commission had not received any report of forced conversion from the district administration of Udupi district and said, "Every Indian had the right to profess and propagate any religion. Conversion by force is not permitted".


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
An initial report by a committee, composed of some 17 human rights activists from Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka and Maharashtra, which formed to look into the violence in Mangalore, stated that the attacks were carried out by the Bajrang Dal and the Sri Ram Sena. They asserted that the event was a "pretext by the police to let loose a savage assault on the community and its sacred institutions", and that the police "conducted themselves as activists of the Bajrang Dal and not as officers of the law, under the benign gaze of the friendly state government." The police were reported to be "more interested in interrogating the nuns than in investigating the assaults." The National Commission for Minorities asked for a ban on the Bajrang Dal, after conducting reports into events in Orissa and Karnataka.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
Retired Justice M. F. Saldanha, formerly of the Bombay High Court, was outspoken against the protests and published a report in 2011 investigating the attacks on Christian institutions and people, written up after he visited 413 locations, examined 673 witnesses and 2,114 victims of the attacks. He described the attacks as "state-sponsored terrorism", and concluded that "the attacks and incidents which took place were instigated and pre-planned. They were not only supported by the state, but were also covered up for by the state."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
The report also stated, "The responsibility for this devolves squarely on Home Minister V. S. Acharya and the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa". Saldanha believes that the "communal forces" at work attacking Christian institutions are also part of an anti-Islam movement on the coastal belt of India. This was later backed by Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum who said that the Karnataka riots were "part of a wider plan of radical Hindutva elements targeting the Christian community after the Muslim community", which had manifested in all of the BJP-ruled states of India. Saldanha further stated, "There is 100 per cent evidence of two things: the state machinery and the police had a role in attacks on churches. There is videographic and photographic evidence of police entering places of worship."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
The official commission enquiring into the attacks on Christians, originally constituted on 19 September 2009 for a period of three months, had been extended ten times, causing dismay amongst local Christians. Yeddyurappa initially stated that a judicial inquiry into the attacks was unnecessary, as he believed that the state police were competent enough to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice themselves. Jesuit priest Fr. M. K. George remarked that "The government does not seem to be serious about the early release of the commission report... the government is lacking the political will to act". Revd.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
Manohar Chandra Prasad criticised the government for "soft pedaling" and believed that the extension was an indication of the government's "step-motherly" attitude toward Christians.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
The official report of Justice B. K. Somasekhara, initiated by Yeddyurappa's BJP-led state government was eventually made public in January 2011, in which it stated that the attacks were suspected to have been initiated by the Bajrang Dal, denying any involvement of the state government and the police, "true Hindus", or any cover-up in the attacks after collecting 2,204 exhibits and 30 materials related to the attacks, 25 spot inspections and examining attacks on 57 churches in Karnataka.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
The report stated, "There is no basis to apprehension of Christian petitioners that politicians, BJP, mainstream Sangh Parivar and State Government directly or indirectly are involved in the attacks. No politicians or representative of any political party in the state who politicised the incidents of attack for their benefits immediately did not come before the commission with their affidavits or to give evidence or opinion in the matter."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
The report—which cost around ₹30 million and took over 28 months, 300 sittings, and 800 pieces of recorded evidence to be realised—concluded that the district authorities and the police had, in most cases, taken the "appropriate steps regarding the Church and the people including the required protection." Somasekhara concluded that the attacks were "carried out by 'misguided elements' following circulation of literature insulting Hindu gods and reports of conversion activity by some Christian groups" and that "the Roman Catholic church and its leaders were not involved in conversion."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
In the case of Chikkamagaluru district, Somasekhara noted that "the Government may enquire and withdraw the privileges to every people who is indulging or getting converted in such illegal activities of conversions commercially." The report was widely criticised by the Christian community for being "biased" and activists belonging to the Religious Christian Minority Wing of the JDS burnt a copy of the Somasekhara report. Archbishop of Bangalore Archdiocese Bernard Moras rejected the Somasekhara report, stating, "It has failed to address the terms of reference of the Commission and has failed to do justice to the Christian community."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
He demanded that the state government launch a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the attacks, also saying that "we will make a representation to the government putting forth our demand. We will make a representation to the chief minister, the governor, various organisations including the Human Rights and the Central government". Bajrang Dal State convener Suryanarayana also disputed the veracity of the Somasekhara report in its statements about the Bajrang Dal involvement and former Bajrang Dal state convener Mahendra Kumar.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, Investigations
He issued a statement saying that "Bajrang Dal had no role to play in the incidents of attacks on churches and the statement given by Mr. Kumar during the attacks in 2008 were his personal views and the organisation had clarified this aspect then. However, Uday Kumar Shetty, the president of the district unit of the BJP, approved of the report, believing that the report was correct in its assertion that the Sangh Parivar were not involved in the attacks.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, 2011 protest
On 20 February 2011, following the publication of Saldanha's and Somasekhara's contradictory reports on the attacks on churches, more than 100,000 Christians representing some 45 Christian denominations and secular organisations gathered in Mangalore to protest.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, 2011 protest
Present was Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza of Mangalore Diocese, Bishop Emeritus C. L. Furtado and Bishop John S. Sadananda of the CSI Karnataka Southern Diocese, AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Bishop Lawrence Mukkuzhy of the Catholic Syro-Malabar Diocese of Belthangady, Geevarghese Mar Divannasious of the Syro-Malankara Diocese of Puttur, Diocesan Vicar-General Msgr Denis M. Prabhu; and some 24 new-generation churches united under the Karnataka Missions Network (KMN) including the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC), Operation Mobilization Bookstall (OMB), Good News Book Centre (GNBC), All India Catholic Union (AICU), Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK), and International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations (IFKCA).


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, 2011 protest
Secular organisations participating in the protest included Udupi Jilla Alpasankhyatara Vedike (UJAV), the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), the DK District Committee, the local unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and the Muslim Vartakara Sangha (VS) and Muslim Okkoota groups. The protest rally was "organised against a backdrop of an apparent whitewash by the B. K. Somasekhara Commission concerning Hindu radicals and government agencies." The protesters tied black cloths over their mouths and carried black flags as they walked silently for about a kilometre in one of the strongest Christian areas of the city.


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, 2011 protest
George Castelino, a Catholic lay leader who guided the march, stated that the black "symbolised that the action of the government and its commission have silenced Christians." Rev. Alwyn Culaso of the Full Gospel Church said that "This is a sea of Christianity that is wounded by the attacks on the churches by the fundamental groups. The government should look at the faith and patience of these people and give justice."


2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka, 2011 protest
On 17 February 2011, Ronald Colaco, Chairman of IFKCA and Higher Education Minister V. S. Acharya submitted a memorandum to Yeddyurappa, demanding that the cases filed against Christian youths be dropped. Following the publications of the reports and subsequent protests, the government of Karnataka announced that it would drop 338 cases against Christians who had protested in the attacks. In December 2011, 23 cases against Christians were dropped upon request by the Karnataka Christians International and the Mangalore Diocese.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
The 2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra began on 3 February 2008 after violent clashes between workers of two political parties—Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party (SP)—at Dadar in Mumbai, capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The clashes took place when workers of MNS, a splinter faction formed out of the Shiv Sena (a major political party of Maharashtra), tried to attack workers of SP, the regional party based in Uttar Pradesh, who were proceeding to attend a rally organised by the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA). Defending his party's stand, MNS chief Raj Thackeray explained that the attack was a reaction to the "provocative and unnecessary show of strength" and "uncontrolled political and cultural dadagiri (bullying) of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrants and their leaders".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
In the events leading to these clashes, Raj Thackeray made critical remarks, themed around language politics and regionalism, about migrants from the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, accusing them of spoiling Maharashtrian culture and not mingling with them. At political rallies held across the state, he questioned the loyalty of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan towards Maharashtra, where he attained "fame and popularity", accusing him of showing "more interest" in his native Uttar Pradesh. He called the celebration of Chhath Puja by North Indian migrants a "drama" and a "show of arrogance".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
On 13 February 2008, the state government, which was accused of reluctance to take immediate action, ultimately arrested Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi (a local SP leader) on charges of instigation of violence and causing communal disturbance. Although released that same day, a gag order was imposed on both leaders to prevent them from making further inflammatory remarks. Meanwhile, tensions in Maharashtra rose as the news of Raj's possible arrest, and his subsequent actual arrest, angered his supporters.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
Incidences of violence against North Indians and their property by MNS workers were reported in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Beed, Nashik, Amravati, Jalna, and Latur. Nearly 25,000 North Indian workers fled Pune, and another 15,000 fled Nashik in the wake of the attacks. The exodus of workers caused an acute labour shortage, affecting local industries. Analysts estimated financial losses of ₹500 crore (US$70 million)– ₹700 crore (US$98 million). Although the violence receded after the arrests of the two leaders, sporadic attacks were reported until May 2008.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
After months of lull, on 19 October 2008, MNS activists beat up North Indian candidates appearing for the all-India Railway Recruitment Board entrance exam in Mumbai. The incident led to Raj's arrest and fresh violence. Later on 28 October 2008 a labourer from Uttar Pradesh was lynched in a Mumbai commuter train.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra
The attacks evoked critical reactions from various parts of the country, particularly the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar political leadership. Even Bal Thackeray, Raj's estranged uncle and chief of the Shiv Sena, who formed his party in 1966 to raise the voice of Marathi manoos (Marathi people), discounted his nephew's criticism of Bachchan as "stupidity". In an editorial a month later in Saamna, the Shiv Sena's political mouthpiece, however, Bal Thackeray wrote that Biharis antagonised local populations wherever they went and were an "unwelcome lot" throughout the country. The media slated Bal's remarks as an attempt to recapture his party's sons-of-soil plank, being hijacked by Raj.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj Thackeray's resignation from Shiv Sena and the formation of MNS
On 9 March 2006, Raj Thackeray, nephew of Bal Thackeray, quit the Shiv Sena and formed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after being "sidelined" by the chief's son Uddhav. The Shiv Sainiks (Shiv Sena members) who supported Raj's leadership, in contrast to his cousin Uddhav, joined the MNS. The party was founded on the ideology of being the benefactor of the local Marathi Manoos (Marathi people), an ideology that the party members felt the Shiv Sena had abandoned. Keeping in line with this, Raj has repeatedly demanded special job reservations for locals. A critic of the influx of migrants into the state, especially Uttar Bhartiyas (literally meaning "North Indians") predominantly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he has blamed the large-scale immigration of people from these economically backward states for causing a shortage of jobs for Maharashtrians.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Shiv Sena's move to appease migrants
The Times of India summarised the cause of MNS's attacks—"There's a method in MNS's madness in attacking north Indians in Mumbai though, howsoever flawed it might be. Raj believes his cousin and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has been wooing the people from Bihar and UP—through a campaign he began back in 2005 with the inclusive call of Mee Mumbaikar—as his party's vote-bank. Uddhav's growing popularity with North Indians had been rankling Raj, who is losing ground and political relevance as evident in the MNS's performance in the last municipal elections."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's criticism of Amitabh Bachchan
In January 2008, targeting Mumbai-resident Amitabh Bachchan at political rallies, Raj asserted that the actor was "more interested" in his native state Uttar Pradesh than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of Amitabh's inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra. Bachchan was also criticised for choosing to run elections from his native state. On 2 February at a party function at Dharavi in Mumbai, Raj said, "Though he [Amitabh] has become a star in Mumbai, his interest is in Uttar Pradesh. That is why he was trying to be an ambassador of UP rather than Maharashtra. That is why though he achieved everything in Mumbai, when it came to elections, Amitabh chose Uttar Pradesh".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's criticism of Amitabh Bachchan
Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife and an SP MP Jaya Bachchan said that they (Bachchans) were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land to build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai at Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here". Amitabh, however, abstained from commenting on the issue.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's criticism of Amitabh Bachchan
Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, saying, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him. The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste. It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting". According to some reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he supposedly admires, stemmed from his disappointment of not being invited to the wedding of Amitabh's son, Abhishek, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's criticism of Amitabh Bachchan
On 23 March, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview with a local tabloid, saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give". Later on 28 March at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so. He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's remarks on Chhath Puja and migrants
In his party speeches, Raj had also reproached North Indian migrants on the celebration of Chhath Puja, a festival popular in Bihar, calling it a "drama" and a "show of arrogance". He demanded that they must only celebrate Maharashtrian festivals. A petition was filed in the Patna civil court on 8 February against him for his remarks over Chhath Puja.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's remarks on Chhath Puja and migrants
His statements drew flak from leaders of Bihar, especially Indian Railways minister and former chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who challenged that he would come to Mumbai and perform Chhath Puja in front of Raj's house, also ridiculed Raj saying, "He [Raj] is a child in politics". The Navnirman Sena leader accused migrants of swamping Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state, in search of jobs.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Raj's remarks on Chhath Puja and migrants
The MNS chief had also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. On 9 February, expressing his stance on newer migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Clashes between MNS and SP workers
On 3 February 2008, MNS and SP workers indulged in street fighting after the former tried to attack the latter, who were proceeding to Shivaji Park, Dadar, in Mumbai to attend a rally organised by the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), the ruling coalition party of India, of which the SP is a member. The rally was to be addressed by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and other prominent members of the UNPA and SP. Police arrested 73 MNS and 19 SP workers after these clashes on charges of rioting.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Clashes between MNS and SP workers
Raj justified his party's stand as a response to—"provocative and unnecessary show of strength" and "uncontrolled political and cultural dadagiri of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrants and their leaders"—and questioned, "Do political movements need to obey the law?" On 10 February at a press conference, he issued a statement saying, "What happened in Mumbai in the past one week was only a reaction and if leaders of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar try to demonstrate their strength here, such reactions would recur".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Background, Clashes between MNS and SP workers
After the clashes, SP approached the Election Commission demanding de-registration of MNS. SP general secretary whose press conference near Azad Maidan was disrupted by MNS activists on 3 February, Amar Singh petitioned the Commission requesting action against the MNS and its leaders for issuing "veiled as well as open threats" against non-Maharashtrians. However, Mumbai police dismissed a complaint of "criminal intimidation" filed against Raj by Singh as 'false and malicious'. In his complaint filed at Azad Maidan police station, Singh had alleged that sloganeering MNS men had threatened him by using Thackeray's name while being whisked away by security personnel from the venue.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
On 3 February, immediately after clashes with SP, MNS workers assaulted North Indian taxi drivers and vandalised their vehicles in Dadar, Mumbai. The police faced strong criticism for remaining mute spectators as MNS workers assaulted North Indians. A departmental inquiry was instituted against the police inaction. Inspector Motiram Kadam and sub-inspector Deepak Pawar, who were assigned duty at Dadar, were suspended for dereliction of duty. Later, over 25 MNS workers were arrested on charges of rioting.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
In the night, 150 suspected MNS activists ransacked Pratap talkies in Thane, pulled out the print of the Bhojpuri film "Saiyan se Solah Singaar" and burned it because Bhojpuri is the regional language spoken in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The rioters also damaged the theatre and destroyed the seats. A similar incident was reported in Nashik.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
The next day in Mumbai, two motorcycle-borne MNS supporters hurled bottles at Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow at Juhu. A group of MNS workers barged inside the booking office of the Grant Road railway station, damaged the booking office windows and tore off posters of a newly released Bhojpuri film put up there. Party workers resorted to stone throwing in some parts of Kandivli, a North-Mumbai suburb that has a sizeable North Indian lower middle-class population. In the Central-Mumbai suburb of Bandra, a clash ensued when MNS workers tried to plant party flags at an open market dominated by North Indians.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
The offices of Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari and North Indian Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam were stoned by MNS supporters on 5 February. Two days later, a group of 20 to 25 MNS activists forced themselves into the Central Mumbai office of the Bombay Taximen's Union, where they assaulted office staff and damaged property. In response to the attack, the 55,000-strong Union immediately called for a flash strike. The strike was then called off after R. R. Patil, the Home Minister of Maharashtra, assured the Union of justice and safety. An advocate named Arvind Shukla filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission to derecognise MNS in view of its "anti-national activities".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
On 8 February, re-invoking the issue of Marathi pride, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on hit out at North Indians again, in a special article titled "Majhi bhumika, majha ladha" (My stand, my struggle) written by him in the Marathi daily Maharashtra Times, Thackeray said, "Even if the whole world opposes my stand, I and my party will continue the struggle to protect Marathi culture, Maharashtrian people and will trample the goondaism of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. At this juncture, I feel like asking the Maharashtrian people that if I am voicing your true emotion, then why are you sitting on the fence. Come join me in this struggle."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
On 12 February, MNS workers attacked vendors and shopkeepers from North India in various parts of Maharashtra and destroyed government property to vent their anger against the reported move to arrest Raj. Sporadic violence was reported in Beed and Aurangabad. State-run buses in these areas were stone-pelted, resulting in the arrest of several MNS workers. In Nashik, MNS workers vandalised several shops belonging to North Indians, forcing other shops and business establishments to close down. One shopkeeper was severely beaten and was admitted to Nashik General Hospital. Banks and schools promptly closed after these incidents.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
Stone pelting by angry mobs was also reported from the city's Shalimar and Bytco squares, and the Satpur and Ambad industrial areas remained closed. Nashik police detained 26 MNS workers after the violence. Six municipal cooperators were also put under preventive arrest. Additional police pickets were deployed in various parts of the city, including Shalimar and Ambad Chowk, Satpur, Nashik Road, the MNS head office at Mumbai Naka and some of the city suburbs. In Pune, MNS workers pelted stones on state-run buses and attacked a few shop owners in Pune's Laxmi Road area, prompting shops to shut down to avoid similar attacks.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
The Mumbai Police announced its move to put Raj under their custody on 13 February, which created an upsurge of violence in the state and led to two deaths. Attacks on North Indians were reported from Mumbai, Pune, Jalna, Beed, Aurangabad and Latur. Shops, offices and other business establishments were shut down in different parts of Mumbai, as MNS workers threatened violence in case their leader was arrested. Central Mumbai localities were most affected, especially around Dadar and Shivaji Park, the strongholds of both the MNS and the Shiv Sena.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
The police blocked roads in front of the residence of Raj in the Shivaji Park area. A civic activist named James John was assaulted by suspected MNS workers while he was attempting to photograph them forcing shop owners to down shutters in JB Nagar, Andheri. John suffered two rib fractures and bruises on his lungs. In Nashik, an employee of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a Maharashtrian, died during a stone pelting on state-run buses by MNS supporters. A migrant from Bihar, who was a security guard with a private company at Igatpuri in Nashik district, was killed by a mob.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
In Mumbai and Aurangabad, police rounded up more than 400 MNS workers. In Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, MNS workers went on a rampage following the arrest of Raj, smashing windows and windscreens of eleven state buses. Thirteen rioters were arrested. They also chopped off both hands of a Bihari hawker sleeping on the streets. He was severely beaten until he fell unconscious. When he gained consciousness the following day, he found himself in a hospital with both hands amputated. The injured, mainly hawkers, were treated at the Nashik Civil Hospital after they were beaten.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, February
Shops along Nashik Road closed down after the incident. Incidents of stone pelting on state-run buses were reported from the Nashik Road, Ambad, Ravivar Peth, and Gangapur areas. Bus services were severely curtailed and diverted via Nipani. In Amrawati, MNS workers blocked roads and pelted stones at buses, damaging several vehicles in the process. Though contingents of the Rapid Action Force and the Central Industrial Security Force were deployed in many parts of the state, the police could not control violence by the MNS who adopted hit-and-run methods of attack. More than 200 activists of the MNS were arrested across Nashik. Many activists went underground and coordinated with party activists from undisclosed locations.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, March–May
The attacks simmered down after mid-February due to the arrest and imposition of a gag order on Raj. Isolated cases of attacks, however, were reported until April 2008. On 22 March, six North Indians were beaten up by a group of Holi revellers, suspected to be MNS workers, in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. On the same day, a shop owned by a North Indian was ransacked by a group of 10 – 15 drunken men, who pelted stones and beat his children because they had refused to provide free food.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, March–May
On 29 March, motorcycle-borne assailants damaged at least five taxis owned by North Indians in Central Mumbai. Four people were arrested. Four labourers travelling on the Konkan Kanya Express from Thane to Margao in search of jobs were beaten and looted by some men in Raigad district after being identified as North Indians on 1 April. Then on 30 May, a group of North Indians was injured when a mob of approximately 800 MNS activists attacked them at a meeting organised by the SP and some other North Indians fronts. Five North Indians were critically injured in the attack, and the police arrested 35 MNS activists after the incident.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
After months of lull in the anti-North Indian offensive, on 19 October 2008, MNS activists beat up North Indian candidates appearing for the all-India Railway Recruitment Board entrance exam for the Western region in Mumbai. The attack invoked a quick reaction from Lalu Prasad Yadav and his cabinet colleague Ram Vilas Paswan, who too hails from Bihar. Chief minister Nitish Kumar, on the other hand, spoke to his Maharashtra counterpart Vilasrao Deshmukh and urged him to provide protection to the migrants from Bihar. Lalu demanded a ban on the MNS, and described its chief Raj Thackeray as a "mental case".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
Bihar witnessed violent protest after death of Pawan Mahto, a resident of Bara-Khurd village in Nalanda district, in anticipation that he died after being assaulted by MNS activists. However, railway police clarified, based on the CCTV footage, that Pawan had died due to an accident at Andheri station after slipping at a platform.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh admitted that his government was responsible for failure in preventing the attacks by MNS on north Indian candidates at Railways examination centres and ordered a probe into the incident, which will also enquire into why the job advertisements where not given in Marathi newspapers. "What has happened is not good. Such incidents take place because of loopholes in the law. One can't hold only the Home Ministry responsible for it, it is (entire) government's responsibility.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
Such incidents are affecting the image of the state and I have instructed the DGP to take stern action," Deshmukh said. However, NCP leader Narayan Rane, wrote a piece in 23 October 2008, issue of 'Prahar', in a city newspaper he owns, pleading that Marathis should get their legitimate share in the central government sector. The Times of India noted, the essay indicates that Rane continues to have a soft spot for MNS chief Raj Thackeray – the two were close friends when Rane was in the Sena. Stating that the Marathis were getting a raw deal in central government jobs such as income tax and the railways, Rane said it was perplexing that of 54,000, only 54 Marathis were summoned for the railway recruitment exams. The railways must give Marathis their legitimate share in employment, Rane said.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
On 20 October 2008, Thackeray was arrested in Ratnagiri after Mumbai police had received a non-bailable warrant issued by a Jamshedpur court against the MNS chief. Raj's arrest ignited violence by his supporters in large parts of the city forcing it to shut down. Irate supporters went on the rampage torching public transport and telling office goers to return home. Many shops and commercial establishments, especially those run or managed by non-Maharashtrians, chose not to open at all to avoid trouble. Raj, whose MNS workers Sunday attacked non-Maharashtrians appearing for the railway board examination, was brought from Ratnagiri, about 250 km from here, to be produced at the Bandra court, where he was summoned for.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
There was mayhem outside the court premises with large crowds gathering around restively and camera crews waiting to capture the trouble. In some places, buses, taxis and autorickshaws were set on fire, in others areas public transport just stayed off the roads. The office of the state Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam was also vandalised.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
A North Indian shopkeeper was killed in Bhandup, Mumbai after he refused to shut down his shop when MNS activists protesting Raj's arrest forced him to do so. Four persons were killed and another seriously injured in a village near Kalyan. Deputy commissioner of police (rural) Sanjay Shintre said two North Indians, a member of the Agri community and an MNS worker were killed in a clash between the two communities in Pisavali, 10 km from Kalyan. Earlier, curfew had been imposed in the entire Kalyan area.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
The situation in Kalyan worsened in the evening as Raj was driven there to a police station lock-up where he was to spend the night before being presented in a court on 22 October. Five outdoor broadcast vans belonging to media houses were damaged by MNS supporters. A cameraman from ETV was injured and had to be admitted to a private hospital. One Kalyan-Dombivli municipal transport bus was set on fire while five bikes were reduced to ashes. Transport services across Kalyan were paralysed. A jewellery shop was also ransacked by MNS supporters. In all one hundred and twenty-five cases of arson, rioting and stonepelting were registered across the state, including in Pune and Marathwada, by early evening, and 2,085 people were arrested, state director general of police A N Roy said.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
As news about the arrest spread, there was violence in other parts of Maharashtra too. Sporadic incidents of stone pelting at municipal and private buses were reported in the reat of Maharashtra following the arrest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray in Ratnagiri. In Kothrud area, some alleged MNS activists damaged a company's bus that was taking its employees to workplace. Few Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) buses were stoned by miscreants, police said. Meanwhile, police have picked up around 100 MNS activists, including some corporators as a preventive measure.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
In Nashik, MNS activists set ablaze a truck near PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal's farm and also damaged another truck at Vilholi-Phata area, police said. Incidents of stone pelting on MSRTC buses and other vehicles were reported in some areas, they said, adding vehicular traffic on the busy Mumbai-Agra-national highway was disrupted following the protest. Police rounded up 70 MNS activists in Nashik incidents and security was tightened in the city. In Solapur, incidents of stone pelting on state transport buses were also reported. In Nagpur MNS party leaders claimed to have damaged several MSRTC buses.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
Angry students in various parts of Bihar damaged railway property and disrupted train traffic, as a protest. The police said the protesters targeted Patna, Jehanabad, Barh, Khusrupur, Sasaram and Purnia railway stations in the morning. The protesting students reportedly set afire two AC bogies of an express train at Barh railway station. They ransacked Jehanabad, Barh, Purnia and Sasaram railway stations. According to the railway police, at least 10 students were detained in the morning and extra security was deployed to control the situation. A 10-year-old boy was killed when police opened fire on protesters.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, October
The child was hit by a stray bullet and died at the scene after police in Rohtas district fired on a mob attacking a train station. A group of 25 people pelted stones on the Maharashtra Bhawan in Khalasi Line, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Constructed in 1928, the building is owned by the lone trust run by Marathis in Kanpur.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Attacks, January–May 2009
On 26 January 2009, MNS activists attacked North Indian residents of Satpur near Nashik who were paying tribute to the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008 and also celebrating 'Uttar Pradesh Din' through cultural programmes. Eight of them were arrested. In May 2009, alleged MNS workers tried to disrupt Patna-born actress Neetu Chandra's intimate photoshoot with a model in Mumbai, claiming that it promoted lesbianism and chanting "Jai Maharashtra."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi
Raj Thackeray and SP leader Abu Asim Azmi were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (promoting enmity between groups on the basis of place of birth, residence, etc.) and 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) on 11 February. The police also applied section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to both politicians and warned them not to hold any press conferences or rallies in the next seven days. On 13 February, however, police arrested both the leaders.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi
Later that day, a local court granted Raj conditional bail and ordered him not to make any speeches that would inflame public tension. He obtained a release after furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 15,000. Azmi was arrested and taken to the Bhoiwada court in South Central Mumbai and was released on surety of Rs. 10,000.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi
Raj appealed before the court against the gag order imposed on him, stating that he had to move around different places in Maharashtra for propounding the philosophy of his party and that such an order was an infringement of his 'fundamental rights'. On 22 February, the court dismissed his appeal to re-track the extension of the gag order passed against him, following which MNS started a signature campaign to get support against the gag order.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi
According to MNS, Maharashtrian actors Nana Patekar and Shreyas Talpade had shown support in opposing the gag order, along with actors Salman Khan and Suneil Shetty. Salman Khan and Suneil Shetty, however, later denied the MNS's claim. This move by MNS prompted the police to serve a show cause notice to Raj, asking him why the gag order should not be extended.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi
Over 1,800 activists were put under arrest for substantive offences and as a preventive measure since violence had erupted on the streets of Mumbai on 13 February, according to the Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Law and Order), K. L. Prasad.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
On 22 February, while hearing two Public Interest Litigations, the Supreme Court of India termed the attacks on North Indians in Mumbai by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists as "a dangerous trend". The three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, and Justices R V Ravindran and Markandey Katju observed,


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
"It [attack on North Indians] is a very dangerous tendency. What is happening there [Mumbai], we can understand. These [who were attacked] are innocent people. We understand the situation there [in Maharashtra] and what is happening. This is one country and we will not accept son-of-soil theory. We will not permit Balkanisation of this country."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
The court passed the judgement while hearing two Public Interest Litigations on related issues. While the first, filed by advocate Arvind Shukla, had sought direction to the Election Commission to derecognise Mr Raj Thackeray's MNS for his controversial remarks against North Indians, the other one, filed by RU Upadhyay, sought protection for the North Indians in Maharashtra and compensation to those who had suffered from the attacks. The court, however, refused to pass any direction on the grounds that the issue was related to the aspect of law and order, and it thus directed the petitioners to have faith in the Bombay High Court and seek further hearing there.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
In another apparent rebuff to Raj Thackeray, the Supreme Court asserted that every Indian has the right to settle anywhere in the country. A bench consisting of Justices H K Sema and Markandey Katju remarked,


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
"India is not an association or confederation of states, it is a union of state and there is only one nationality that is Indian. Hence every Indian has a right to go anywhere in India, to settle anywhere, and work and do business of his choice in any part of India peacefully."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Arrests of Raj Thackeray and Abu Asim Azmi, Expression of displeasure by the Supreme Court
The apex court made the observation while upholding the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's move to ban the sale of meat in the town during the nine-day "Paryushan festival" observed by the Jain community.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Exodus of North Indians from Maharashtra, Nashik
The news of Raj's possible arrest provoked a heightened attack on the North Indians in the industrial town of Nashik in Maharashtra, Raj's political stronghold. North Indians left the city by buses, trains and private vehicles. Railway officials at Nashik station said that this was the largest crowd using the railroad since the Sinhasta Kumbha Mela in 2003–2004. It was perhaps one of the largest exoduses from a single district in the country ever. Chhagan Bhujbal, Nashik's guardian minister, reported that 15,000 migrant workers had left the city in the aftermath of the violence against North Indians.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Exodus of North Indians from Maharashtra, Pune
In Pune, an estimated 25,000 workers left the city in the wake of the attacks, according to government officials. Pune's District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar and Collector Prabhakar Deshmukh held meetings of various people's representatives to stop the mass departure. They were joined by local Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who picketed at Pune railway station to allay fears of those boarding the trains with their family members, carrying their meager belongings.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Exodus of North Indians from Maharashtra, Effects on local industries
Local industries in Nashik, especially those located in the Ambad Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area, were affected due to the large-scale departure of migrant workers. According to a report, 40 percent small and medium industries in the Ambad industrial area had been closed down due to the migration. Though the local industries at Nashik are ancillary units, they provide material to big industries such as Mahindra and Mahindra and Crompton Greaves. Losses resulting from the exodus were estimated to be Rs. 500 – 7 billion.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Exodus of North Indians from Maharashtra, Effects on local industries
In Pune, where the construction industry was badly hit, some local organisations, working for porters, construction workers and casual labourers, tried to stop the exodus. These organisations set up a National Integration Committee (NIC) and charted out confidence-building measures among the migrants in the city. One of the resolutions passed at the meeting was to encourage participation of the North Indians in all festivities in the near future. In fact, ninety percent of the labour force in Pune consists of migrants; 60 percent of these come from Bihar and UP. It was also feared that the stoppage of construction activities would adversely affect the plans of hosting certain events of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in the city.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Exodus of North Indians from Maharashtra, Effects on local industries
On 8 September 2008, Infosys Technologies announced that 3,000 employee positions had been shifted from Pune to Chennai, due to construction delays caused earlier that year by the attacks on North Indian construction workers.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
The attacks evoked severe responses from political parties and their leaders, particularly of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Mayawati, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, accused the Congress-ruled Maharashtra government of failing to prevent the attacks. She demanded centre intervention to protect the lives and properties of North Indians in the state. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said "Mumbai ujad jayega (Mumbai will be ruined)". In response to the attacks on taxi drivers and vendors, he added, "What will happen in Mumbai if taxis go off the roads? Mumbai will come to a standstill".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
Lalu Prasad Yadav on 5 February 2008, took up the issue of attacks on North Indians with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded action against those involved in them. Commenting on Raj Thackeray, Lalu Prasad said, "He is desperate and such type of leader will never be successful in the country. The Government should take action against him and his supporters".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
In the national capital, Delhi, political and social organisations launched street protests and burnt Raj's effigy, while members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Poorvanchal cell held a demonstration demanding that the dismissal of the Maharashtra government. In Allahabad, SP workers tried to obstruct the movement of trains in protest. In Uttar Pradesh's capital, Lucknow, Nationalist Congress Party activists burnt an effigy of Raj. In Patna, capital of Bihar, RJD's youth wing staged a demonstration against Raj and the MNS. Thackeray's effigies were burnt also in Jamshedpur in the state of Jharkhand.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh condemned Raj's actions and promised to protect migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and at the same time warned SP from hijacking the situation for political mileage. The Nationalist Congress Party, a key member of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, also criticised Raj Thackeray and said the campaign was a "cheap publicity stunt". On 6 February 2008 about 200 MNS party workers quit their party and re-joined Shiv Sena, to protest against the MNS's anti-North Indian agenda.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
On 9 March, Congress President Sonia Gandhi declared that there should be no leniency towards those stoking regional and communal passions. "Unity and integrity are the basic conditions for progress of the nation and to fight terrorism. There should be no leniency towards those who seek to discriminate on the basis of religion and region," Sonia Gandhi said. She asserted that the country belongs to all with equal rights to it, and that it is the responsibility of all to ensure security of life and property of every citizen in any part of the country.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Lal Krishna Advani of the BJP criticising the attacks commented, "No political party should say or do anything that weakens the country's unity or undermines the Constitution". BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar alleged that the Congress State government deliberately delayed taking any action when the attacks on North Indians began in Mumbai. He said that he suspected Congress had a strategy to divide Maharashtrian and non-Maharashtrian votes, by creating a feeling of insecurity among non-Maharashtrians in the hope that they would vote for the Congress. He blamed the party for trying to divert people's attention from more critical problems that Maharashtra faces, such as the agrarian crisis and load shedding. He added, "India is one and every Indian has a right to settle down and work in any part of the country".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
The Communist Party of India demanded stringent action against those inciting violence and asked democratic forces to launch a united struggle against such elements. The party also accused the media, particularly the electronic media, of encouraging anti-national and parochial forces by giving them "undue publicity". According to a resolution adopted at its 20th national Congress at Hyderabad, no adequate action was against those who indulge in chauvinistic slogans and perpetuate hooliganism, and the ruling Congress-led coalition and the opposition BJP utilised these forces for their local political gains.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Political reactions
The resolution also said, "Opportunistic, parochial and chauvinistic" forces like Shiv Sena and MNS have exploited the situation for narrow electoral gains and demanded compensation for those affected by the violence. The resolution stated that in 1966, Bal Thackeray gave anti-South Indian slogans and now his nephew wants to repeat that experience by giving anti-North Indian slogans. The All India Minorities Front (AIMF) threatened to launch a nationwide agitation against Raj if he did not mend his ways and avoid targeting North Indians and non-Maharashtrians.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response
The anti-North Indian violence was labelled as a 'tirade against North Indians' by sections of the national media (The Hindu, The Times of India, Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times, The Economic Times) and international media (Khaleej Times). The Hindustan Times published a survey on the front page on 15 February, which said that 73 percent of Mumbai believed the insular line of the MNS and its president against North Indians was denting Mumbai's cosmopolitan image. The Hindustan Times later received a call from the MNS spokesperson Shirish Parkar protesting the findings of the study.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response
Raj blamed the English-language and Hindi-language media of being biased against him and his party. In addition, some held the media responsible of giving Raj undue publicity. According to an SMS/web poll conducted by CNN IBN, 88 percent of the voters were of the opinion that Raj Thackeray was "feeding on media hype". On 11 February, in Pune, a group of about 15 MNS activists burnt 150 copies of The Week, a weekly magazine in English, in reaction to its cover story on Raj's controversial utterances, portraying him as Mumbai's Hitler.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response
The Editor-in-Chief of Outlook, Vinod Mehta, said in a debate on the media's role in the situation, "Here is a politician [Raj Thackeray] propounding an idea that could lead to a civil war in the country. The doctrine had to be challenged and what could the media have done? While you may argue that some images were in excess, you will also agree we had to report because this fight to the streets". Ending the debate on a sarcastic note Mehta said, "It's ridiculous! The politicians are not responsible, the state government isn't responsible, police are not to be blamed but media is responsible".


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response
There is no denying that civic amenities in Mumbai are cracking under the added pressure of a migrant population seeking the riches of India's commercial capital. The solution cannot be wielding a lathi or a sword. Nor can it be in jingoistic expressions of Marathi pride or North Indian chest thumping. Mumbai will do well to remember how the city came together during the train blasts (11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings). No one asked then, who is a migrant and who is a Maharashtrian. It's dangerous to solve administrative problems with ethnic quick fixes.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response
Painter Pranava Prakash did his exhibition titled "Chal Hat Be Bihari" in January 2009 in Delhi protesting violence against north Indians in Mumbai.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response, Local vernacular media
The Marathi daily Maharashtra Times editorial on Raj's arrest said that his arrest was a big farce, from which he emerged with pomp and style. It condemned the violence that resulted after the arrest that forced thousands of migrant workers to uproot themselves from various parts of Maharashtra. Loksatta criticised the television channels for their relentless replay of just two instances to portray the violent impact of his arrest. The edit blamed Hindi channels for making Mumbai look like Gujarat during the 2002 Gujarat riots.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response, Local vernacular media
Another editor in the same daily also wrote that the "Marathi andolan" (Marathi demonstration) will not benefit any party, as the Marathi vote would be divided between the Shiv Sena and MNS. Lokmat, another popular Marathi daily, published a special on a population survey conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), according to which, there has been a 21% decrease in the migrant population in the city since 1961. The North Indian population, however, witnessed an increase from 12 to 24 percent. Saamna's editorial asked what wrong Ambadas Bararao, the Maharashtrian man killed in the violence, had committed. The editor of Sakal wrote that although Raj had gained political mileage by taking up the cause of Marathi people, its impact was severe on the migrants, who had to flee the state.


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response, Local vernacular media
Nikhil Wagle, Editor-in-Chief of Lokmat TV, on the day of Raj's arrest said in an interview with CNBC India that the Mumbai police should have acted against Raj Thackeray and Abu Azmi earlier. He said, "Had they acted, there would have been no violence. I think the police reacted a little late." He expressed his apprehensions about the Shiv Sena stirring up some trouble to compete with Raj Thackeray as he had put the Sena on the back foot. "Raj Thackeray has stolen the show from Uddhav Thackeray. I think Bal Thackeray will be worried and he will create some trouble. He might give some provocative statements. So, the police have to be observant otherwise it will be a fight between the two brothers and Maharashtra and Mumbai will suffer."


2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra, Media coverage and response, Local vernacular media
Indian Express editor Sudheendra Kulkarni's open letter in Loksatta (Marathi newspaper owned by The Indian Express) to Raj Thackeray, in response to Raj's article in Marathi titled Maazi Bhoomika, Maaza Ladha (My Stand, My Struggle) in the Maharashtra Times of 9 February. The letter by Sudheendra which admonished Raj Thackeray for his "hate speech" solicited a response from Raj. A similar open letter was addressed to Raj by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai to Raj deploring his party's actions in the 19 October 2008 All-India Railway Recruitment Board examination attack.