A 20-foot-tall statue of Jesus that stood in a village in southwestern India for 18 years was taken down on Tuesday after local officials claimed that it was built on land reserved for an animal pasture.
An authority told the Catholic news outlet Crux that the High court ordered the destruction; however, Christian leaders from the region say the matter was still unsolved.
The statue was built in 2004 next to Gokunte village’s St Francis Xavier’s Church in Karnataka state.
“We demolished the statue based on the High Court order,” said an official. “After seven to eight hearings, the High Court had ordered the demolition of the statue as it was constructed on government land. We had issued a notice to the church regarding the demolition. We had to submit the compliance report to the High Court on Wednesday and hence it was demolished.”
Villagers say several members of a pro-Hindu organization sought to create conflict in the area and filed a plea in the High Court.
Gokunte village has a population of 500-600 people with four Catholic families.
“We have been praying at the statue since 2004,” said a villager named Rayappa. “They did not even listen to us and just removed everything.”
He added, “Despite asking the (local) administration to safely remove the statue and hand it over to us, it was demolished and taken away in a tractor. There were around 14 small structures and an arch was also demolished. We pooled in funds and worked hard to construct it.”
Father Faustine Lobo, the spokesperson of the Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops’ Council told news outlet Matters India that the statue was torn down in a “very rude and painful way” and without a valid court order.
“The video of the demolition was widely circulated, and the Christians are really alarmed and pained at such repeated acts by the pro-Hindu government machinery,” he said.
Catholic bishops in Karnataka say dishonoring the Jesus statue is an example of growing attacks against Christians in the Indian state. Karnataka state is ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
India currently ranks 10th on the Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of places in the world where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
The Open Doors watch list warns “the persecution of Christians in India is intensifying as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence.”
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