Christians Condemn Removal Of Christ’s Statue
Bengaluru: Christians 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. He also said it is a blow to the communal harmony of the people in the villages. Besides, it is also a 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 that was held in the presence of the Tahsildar and police officials, the local villagers had publicly acknowledged that the presence of Christians and their prayers caused absolutely no problem for them. And in this scenario, why should some outsiders go and disturb the harmony of the village, Dr Machado wondered.
Archbishop observed that it would not bring credit to the government and 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. As everyone is quite aware that Christians are peace-loving people who obey the rules of the country and they render their selfless service to the nation in the best possible ways, irrespective of caste, colour 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 existing statue of Jesus Christ that was unceremoniously removed to be reinstalled immediately. The Christians firmly believe that the State Government would instruct the local authorities to do the redressal act immediately. The Christian leaders of the place made an earnest request to the authorities to take action against the perpetrators of such discordant acts that have pained the entire community.
As they are in the Holy Season of Lent, the community members only pray for those who have done the desecration at Mahima Betta in Doddasagarhalli with the same words of Jesus Christ, who prayed from the Cross; “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Mahima Betta in Doddasagarhalli village, Devanahalli taluka, about 40 km from the city, is the burial place of Christians of the area, situated on four to five acres of land, allotted by the government of Karnataka for burial. This place was graced with a 12 feet statue of Lord Jesus Christ and other smaller statues. During the weeks before Good Friday and Easter, the Christians have prayers and devotions such as the ‘Way of the Cross’ to meditate on the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ and also conduct Reconciliation prayers. Those practices had been going on for the last 30 to 40 years without any hindrance. It is a well-known fact that there was absolutely no problem from the local people to the Christian burials, nor the prayers and devotions on the hill.
While the Christians attend the prayers and devotions, the others are not forbidden to visit this place. Since about a week, some people from outside had been creating tensions by spreading rumours that the place is used for conversion, which is completely far from the truth, a statement to clarify the matter further asserted.