Javed Akhtar has condemned the removal of a statue of Jesus Christ from a hill near Bengaluru saying that although he is an atheist, the move made him hang his head in shame. "Although I am an atheist, I hang my head in shame as an Indian that near Bangalore a statue of Jesus was removed with a crane by the police following the orders of the Karnataka Govt," he tweeted.
He added, "The first church made in India (out of Portuguese territories) was in Agra during Akbar's regime with his permission and blessings."
A statue of Jesus Christ and several other crosses were removed by local officials on 3 March as part of an anti-encroachment drive in Devanahalli, Bengaluru Rural. The move has sparked controversy among the city's Christian community who claim that the statue was installed on land that is being used as a cemetery. They said that the statue was built around four or five years ago and the land was officially handed over to St Joseph's Church in September last year. Kanthraj, the spokesperson for the Archbishop of Bengaluru, said, “We have taken strong note of the development. We will take legal action against the people who are involved in removing the statue. The land was officially given to us in September 2019. The Deputy Commissioner had given the land to the tahsildar, then he, in turn, gave it to the gram panchayat and the GP, in turn, gave the land to the St Joseph’s Church. This 4.2 acre-land was meant to be used as a cemetery.”
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