Summary
Mahendra Kumar (died 25 April 2020)[1] was the convener of the Karnataka, India, branch of the Bajrang Dal, an Indian Hindu youth organisation. He was reportedly involved in the 2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka on 14 September 2008. He 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 Bharatiya Janata Party regime to "save the government from further embarrassment after the church attacks and on instructions from the Sangh Parivar leaders."[2][3]
He denied that any Catholic churches were attacked by his group during the attacks but reportedly accepted responsibility for the attacks on prayer halls belonging to the New Life Fellowship Trust.[4] The Bajrang Dal were reported to have stated that they were not against Christianity in the region but were offended by the alleged forcible conversions.[5] Kumar had initially denied any involvement in the attacks before being arrested.[6][7] When asked again at a later date though if he had accepted responsibility for the attacks he denied it.[8]
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. 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."[3] 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.[9] On 21 February 2011 he joined the Janata Dal Party (JDS), declaring, "I am today shedding the shackles of communalism to strive for communal harmony, for which the JDS is working."[9] He was succeeded as state convener of the Bajrang Dal by Suryanarayana. Kumar died in Bengaluru of a heart attack on 25 April 2020.[10][11][12]
References edit
- ^ "Mahindra Kumar Dies at 47". Udayavani.
- ^ "Ex-Bajrang Dal chief gets conditional bail". The Hindu. 25 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ a b "I went to jail to save govt blushes, on Sangh Parivar's instruction". Bangalore Mirror. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ Nirmala Carvalho (15 September 2008). "Karnataka: 20 churches attacked, Christians accuse police of inaction". AsiaNews. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
- ^ "'We do not blame all Christians'". Rediff.com. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "Church attacks: Bajrang Dal denies hand". Hindustan Times. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ "Attack on churches: Karnataka cops arrest Bajrang Dal convener". The Times of India. 20 September 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ "'I have been used and thrown by sangh parivar'". The Hindu. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Former Bajrang Dal convener Mahendra Kumar Apologizes for Church Attacks". The Dakshin Times. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ "Former State convener of Bajrang Dal passes away". The Hindu. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Quazi, Sajjad (25 April 2020). "Well-known social activist Mahendra Kumar dies of cardiac arrest". SahilOnline.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Social activist Mahendra Kumar no more". Yahoo.com. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.