BELAGAVI
Christians in Karnataka have condemned the demolition of a statue of Jesus Christ and a prayer centre at Kolar-Karnataka and said this is the latest example of growing attacks on Christians in the state.
The 20-foot statue which was erected 18 years ago at Gokunte village in Mulbagal taluka was demolished in the presence of tehshildar.
Kolar lies about 65 km northeast of Bengaluru and is under the archdiocese of Bangalore. St Francis Xavier is the patron saint of the local church.
“The statue was demolished in a very rude and painful way and without a proper court order,” said Fr Faustine Lobo, spokesperson of the Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops Council (KRCBC).
The video of the demolition was widely circulated causing deep concern among Catholics across the nation.
Tehsildar R Shobhita claimed that the statue was built on government land reserved as an animal pasture, but Christian leaders claimed that pro-Hindu outfits had compelled authorities to execute the demolition.
“We were not shown the high court demolition order,” said Fr Therese Babu, an advocate, claiming the matter was pending in the High Court.
While the Bangalore archdiocese is yet to come out with a statement in this regard, its public relation officer Kantharaj said the archdiocese opted to wait for its court hearing on February 16 before issuing any statements.
