Who is responsible for stampedes in UP, Maharashtra?: D.K. Shivakumar hits back
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has responded sharply to BJP’s criticism over the recent stampede incident near Chinnaswamy Stadium.
When asked about BJP's demand that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister take responsibility for the incident, Shivakumar retorted, “Stampedes have occurred in railway stations in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. In UP, hundreds died in a temple stampede. Who is responsible for those? Did I blame the central government when I was in Ahmedabad just two days ago?”
Speaking at a World Environment Day marathon event organized by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board near Vidhana Soudha, he added, “They have always done politics over corpses. Be it during bandhs or in the Gangadhar murder case, they have a history of this.”
“The government has already taken action in the recent stampede case. An inquiry commission has been appointed. Such incidents have happened across the country, but the Congress party has never politicized tragedies.”
Taking a dig at BJP’s constant targeting of him, he said, “The stronger you are, the more enemies you have. If you’re weak, there are fewer. If you have no strength, you have no enemies. They are scared of us. If the media stands with us, we’ll take oath again at Vidhana Soudha in 2028.”
When asked if he would be the next CM, he replied, “The Congress government will take oath again.”
On being asked about the High Court’s interim stay on the garbage disposal re-tendering process, Shivakumar responded, “How can we keep the city clean if we don’t act? I’ll review the judgment. Previously, there were 89 tenders. The same people formed a group, a mafia. They think they can derail us, but we’ll explain the matter to the court.”
He added, “A group is using PILs and stay orders as intimidation tactics. But this won’t work with our government. We’ll remove the old players and give opportunities to new ones.”
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CBCI urges Prime Minister Modi to condemn attacks on Christians, bring fringe groups under control
Bengaluru: Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly condemn attacks on Christians and take firm steps to protect the rights of religious minorities, saying it is the constitutional duty of the government to do so.
Addressing a press conference a day ahead of the CBCI’s 37th General Body Meeting in Bengaluru, Archbishop Thazhath said the Church has consistently approached government authorities whenever incidents of violence occur, but has never resorted to counter-attacks. “Protecting the rights of minorities and Christians is the duty of the government. Whenever we raise these issues, authorities often describe the perpetrators as fringe groups. If they are fringe groups, they must be condemned and brought under control,” he said.
The CBCI president said he had personally raised the issue with Prime Minister Modi on multiple occasions, including during the Prime Minister’s recent participation in Christmas celebrations. He expressed concern over attacks targeting Christians on the basis of religion, stressing that the Church does not view the issue through a political lens. “We are not political people. There have been attacks on Christians purely on the basis of religion, and we are afraid of this trend. We want the Prime Minister to take necessary precautions and clearly condemn such acts,” he said.
Archbishop Thazhath reiterated that the Christian response to violence is guided by faith and non-violence. “Our methodology is not to counter-attack because Jesus has taught us to love all, even our enemies,” he said. He also highlighted the Christian community’s long-standing contribution to nation-building. “Christians have contributed to this country and will continue to do so. Yet, religious discrimination and attacks continue to take place in some parts of the country, which causes fear,” he added.
His remarks come weeks after a pastor, Bipin Bihari Naik, was allegedly assaulted by Bajrang Dal workers in Odisha, where he was reportedly forced to eat cow dung and chant religious slogans. Without referring to specific cases, the Archbishop said attacks on Christians occur in different forms across various regions. He recalled that in August 2025, Catholic nuns and priests from Kerala were allegedly attacked by Bajrang Dal members in Odisha.
The CBCI General Body Meeting will begin on Wednesday under the theme “Faith and the Nation: The Church’s Witness to India’s Constitutional Vision”. Former Supreme Court judge Justice K.M. Joseph and Professor D. Dominic are scheduled to address the gathering on the topic “Current Socio-Political Context and Constitutional Values”.
According to the meeting agenda, deliberations will take place against the backdrop of several developments, including recent Supreme Court directives on a public interest litigation concerning anti-conversion laws, attacks on churches and Christian institutions in different regions, and incidents of violence and intimidation reported during the Christmas season.
In a pre-meeting media briefing, Archbishop Thazhath emphasised that despite being a numerical minority, Christians have made significant contributions to India. He underlined that the Constitution guarantees minority rights and the freedom to practise religion. Countering narratives that portray Christianity as foreign, he said the faith has been present in India for nearly 2,000 years. “Christianity is inherently Indian. It is not alien,” he asserted.
The Archbishop also expressed serious concern over what he described as growing hostility towards Christians, often under the guise of enforcing anti-conversion laws. He said he had conveyed these anxieties directly to the Prime Minister.
Also present at the briefing were CBCI Secretary General Archbishop Anil J.T. Couto, Vice-President II Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas, Deputy Secretary General Fr. Mathew Koyickal, and PRO Fr. Robinson Rodrigues.
