The Hindu : Karnataka News : Police prepare report on Benny Hinn meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Police prepare report on Benny Hinn meet

By B.S. Ramesh

BANGALORE, FEB. 8. The Bangalore city police have prepared a report on the controversial three-day "Festival of Blessings" held in Bangalore from January 21 in which the U.S. evangelist Benny Hinn participated.

"The Benny Hinn show," as it was called, had generated controversy with Hindu groups up in arms against the event. While the Government and the police stood firm on allowing it, others said it was nothing but a veiled attempt at conversion and an attempt at denigrating Hinduism.

Several public interest litigation petitions were filed in the High Court against the event. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised mass protests and other organisations threatened to disrupt the programme.

The city police had made unprecedented security arrangements. More than 10,000 policemen were deployed, including two companies of the Rapid Action Force and 40 platoons each of the Karnataka State Reserve Police and the City Armed Reserve. Apart from departmental vehicles, the police had identified 50 jeeps from other departments.

Signed by the Commissioner of Police, S. Mariswamy, the three-page report details the "Festival of Blessings" held at the Jakkur airfield on Bellary Road. The city police have taped all the proceedings of the three days. The video has been transcribed on 37 compact discs (CD).

The report says that the crowd on all the three days put together totalled five to 10 lakhs. It says that cases were booked against 350 persons for indulging in violence in several parts of the city, damaging buses, throwing stones and holding demonstrations. Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar was among those arrested for protesting against the event, it adds.

The CDs show that there were no derogatory remarks against any religion during the event. Benny Hinn quoted extensively from the Bible and spoke on the miracle of Jesus Christ.

While Hinn did not engage in any miracles, he said those who believed in Jesus would be cured or healed.

The report said several people ran onstage claiming to have been cured by Benny Hinn. The CDs reveal that the event went off without a hitch and that there was no untoward incident at the venue.

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