The 12-foot statue was remove­d after Hindu radica­ls raised object­ionsArchbishop of Bengalore Peter Machado has condemned the removal of a 12-foot statue of Jesus Christ from a Christian cemetery on the outskirts of India’s north Karnataka state by local police on Thursday. Hindu radicals had objected to the statue, and villagers had said some ‘outside agitators’ had warned Christians from visiting the 4.5-acre site, which had been allocated by the state government for burial for the community in Doddasagarahalli village, according to Crux. “The Christians of Bangalore consider the forceful removal of the statue of Lord Jesus at our legally allotted burial ground at Doddasagarahalli as unacceptable and are greatly shocked and we condemn this high-handed action of the local authorities,” Machado said in a statement. The law gives migrants fleeing persecution from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh an easier path to citizenship, except Muslims. Critics say it is further proof that Modi, emboldened by a resounding election victory this year, is moving quickly to reshape India as a Hindu nation and weaken its secular foundations.

Source: The Express Tribune March 07, 2020 19:41 UTC