Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SN)

Kundapur, Mar 12: “The police department has failed to arrest the miscreants involved with the demolition of the statue of St Bernadette located at the Immaculate Conception Church of Gangolli,” complained Valerian Menezes, a Catholic Sabha Kundapur leader, speaking at a press conference held in the town on Wednesday March 11.

If the police officials do not take initiatives and arrest the culprits involved in the blasphemous act on or before Sunday March 15, the Christian community, with the support of other like-minded people and communities, will undertake a state-wide protest from Monday March 16 onwards, he warned.

Though the officials have been involved with the investigation since the last 11 days in this respect, not a single culprit is behind the bars. The desecration of the statue, housed in the church premises since the last several centuries has also offended many other communities apart from the Christian community, Menezes said.

Fr Alphonso D'Lima, parish priest, Gangolli, Edwin Crasta, leader, Komu Souhardha Vedike and Damodar Acharya of Sadbhavana Vedike were present at the press conference.