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Marian statue decapitated in Mumbai

Deliberate attempt to intimidate Christians from voting in upcoming local elections, Catholics say
Marian statue decapitated in Mumbai

The head of a Marian statue seen at its foot near the broken glass case after vandals attacked it on  Feb. 19 in Mumbai. (Photo courtesy of Father George Kannanthanam)

 

Published: February 20, 2017 10:43 AM GMT
Updated: February 20, 2017 12:43 PM GMT

Catholics in the western Indian city of Mumbai allege that the decapitation of a Marian statue was a deliberate attempt to intimidate Christians from voting for candidates from their community in upcoming local elections.

"Some men on two motorbikes on Sunday (Feb. 19) morning came and smashed the statue in the Kurla suburb in the city," Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson of the Bombay Archdiocese, told ucanews.com. The statue was decapitated, Father Barrett said.

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the biggest city in the country, and part of Bombay Archdiocese, India's largest diocese in terms of Catholic population. Kurla is a Catholic dominated suburb in the city.

"We are waiting for the police to complete the investigation. Let the police say who did it," Father Barrett said.

Joseph Dias, a Catholic leader and founder of the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum, says the attacked was pre-planned and politically motivated.

"It is directly related to the elections. It was a deliberate attempt to create a fear psychosis among the people as the area is Catholic dominated," he told ucanews.com.

Civic elections in the city are scheduled for Feb. 21 and Christians have been campaigning for political parties to back their choice in Christian-dominated areas as candidates.

The campaigners who came under an organization called Church in the City, an umbrella of some 100-odd Catholic organizations and groups claim to represent some 500,000 Catholics in the city.

Dias said their campaign has put an "unusually big" number of Catholic candidates in the fray in Christian dominated areas and some political parties are now worried. "They are making attempts to frighten Catholics not to come out and vote," he said.

For administrative purposes, the city is divided into six zones each having a deputy municipal commissioner. The zones together coordinate 23 wards and more than 250 councilor wards under each ward. Some of the councilor wards are Catholic dominated areas.

However, police refused to attribute any motive to the attack.

"We cannot say anything about the case as the investigation is on going. There is no tension in the area," a police official from the Vinoba Bhave police station, where the case has been registered, told ucanews.com.

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