05 September,2016 09:30 AM IST | | Aparna Shukla
Locals demanded an FIR against the miscreants who broke it, and another against a cop who allegedly took the damaged statue away before a priest could pray
Corporator Brian Miranda (in white) and Nicholas Almeida (in blue) look on as a local talks to ACP Sanjay Kadam. Pics/Shadab Khan
A statue of Jesus Christ broken by unidentified miscreants yesterday at Juhu Tara Road, has angered the Christian community. This is the fourth time in the past two years that such an incident has taken place, they claim. Some of the residents went to the Santacruz police station to lodge not one, but two FIRs, one for the crime and one against a cop, who without letting the priest pray, took away the statue.
The statue before the cross at Juhu Tara Road was found broken yesterday
Why two FIRs?
"This act has hurt our sentiments. Anita Ghai, a local from the area, had already called the cops. My wife and I, upon reaching, asked the inspector to wait till the priest comes and prays to which he agreed. But then he took away the Lord Jesus' statue very quietly. Later, the senior officials at the police station confirmed it's with them," said Brian Miranda, corporator of Kalina, ward 84.
"Today is a special day for all of us. It is Mother Teresa's canonisation. If we want, thousands of people will gather on the roads. But we are a peace loving community. In my locality in Khar, there are beat marshals who regularly maintain a diary, which the officials here don't," said Nicholas Almeida, president of the St John Church Save Committee and the Watchdog Foundation.
There are around 220 crosses in the city, out of which the Bombay High Court protects 110 and this cross is one of the protected ones, said Almeida. "The police says put a glass around it. The Mount Mary Church cross is not protected by glass, but it is still safe as faithful officials are protecting it," added Almeida.
"Every religion has this practice. When Ganpati idols are taken from one place to another, people perform their rituals first. We really wish strict action is taken by the police as they are failing to protect our crosses," said Tulip Miranda, Brian's wife.
The police's version
Meanwhile, the locals' request to ACP Sanjay Kadam to file an FIR against the inspector was refused. "That officer is one of our finest. Why should we charge him for doing his duty? In such incidents, we usually take objects that could be a reason for riots, away from the public domain to maintain harmony," Kadam said.
However, an FIR was filed against unidentified miscreants under Section 295 (Injuring or defiling a place of worship) of the Indian Penal Code.
