By C V Joseph

Bengaluru, March 4, 2020: Christians in Karnataka have condemned the removal of a statue of Christ Jesus at Mahima Betta in Doddasagarhalli village, Devanahalli taluka, rural Bangalore on March 3.

“It is very sad, unfortunate and regrettable that the police, bowing to the pressure of a few outsiders, have forcefully removed the statue of Lord Jesus,” said Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore on March 4.

He also said the removal is a blow to the communal harmony of the people in the villages. “Besides, it is also violation of the religious freedom guaranteed to all by the Indian Constitution. If there is an instance of forceful conversion, let the government investigate and take action,” the archbishop added.

At the public meeting held in the presence of the administrative officer and police officials, the villagers had publicly acknowledged that the presence of Christians and their prayers caused no problem for them.

“In this scenario, why should some outsiders go and disturb the harmony of the village,” the archbishop asked.

Archbishop Machado observed that actions like removal statues would bring no credit to the government or to the local authorities.

“This is only to unnecessarily interfere in the religious tenets and practices of Christians by yielding to the pressure of some groups,” he said and pointed out that Christians are peace loving people who obey the rules of the country and render their selfless service to the nation in the best possible ways, irrespective of caste, color or religion.

The Christians of Bangalore consider the forceful removal of the statue of Lord Jesus at the legally allotted burial ground at Doddasagarahalli as unacceptable and they are greatly shocked.

The Christian community has condemned this high-handedness of the local authorities. They had demanded the statue of Jesus Christ removed unceremoniously be reinstalled immediately.

The Christians want the state government toinstruct the local authorities to redress their act immediately. Christian leaders requested the authorities to take action against the perpetrators of “such discordant acts.”

The leaders also explained that the Christians are in the Lent season, a time to pray for all, including those who desecrated the statues.

They said they would repeat what Jesus had said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Mahima Betta is about 40 km from Bengaluru, the state capital. It has a 4.5 acre land, allotted by the government of Karnataka for burial. Christians had erected the 12 feet statue of Jesus Christ and other smaller statues.

During the weeks before Good Friday and Easter, the Christians conduct prayers and devotions such as the ‘Way of the Cross’ to meditate on the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ and also conduct eeconciliation prayers.

Those practices had been going on for the last 30 to 40 years without any hindrance. Local people, majority of them Hindus, had not objected to the Christian burials, nor the prayers and devotions on the hill.

While the Christians attend the prayers and devotions, the others are allowed to visit the place. Since about a week, some people from outside had been creating tensions by spreading rumors that the place is used for conversion, a statement to clarify the matter further asserted.

C V Joseph