India is not Jerusalem or England and Christians in India should not give hindrance for installing the Hanuman Statue in the Indian Soil.
On Sunday [28-9-2008], an attempt by district authorities to remove the statue was faced with stiff opposition as members of Hindu groups, including the local BJP, Hindu Munani and Shiv Sena, formed a human cordon around it. Several police personnel have been posted in the area to prevent any violence.
The statue weighing 20 tonnes had been carved from a single block of granite in Mahabalipuram and transported to Kanyakumari and installed on September 21 in a simple ceremony at Sunset Point on the sea front.
Kanyakumari district collector Jothi Nirmala said the Trust which installed the statue had obtained only the permission of the panchayat and this was not enough. They should have obtained the permission of the district administration, she said. The Kovalam panchayat president M Belicettal and other members submitted a memorandum to the district collector on Monday last demanding that permission granted for installation of the statue be withdrawn. Kovalam panchayat vice-president S Pushparaj alleged that the Trust had tricked his wife, Belicettal to sign the necessary papers. The collector directed revenue divisional officer R Subramaniam and tahshildar P Ponniah to inquire into the petition and submit a report. Based on this report, Jothi Nirmala directed the removal of the statue. S Pushparaj vicepresident of the Kovalam panchayat, where the statue has been installed, said the trust Chaitanya Maha Prabhu Nama Biksha Kendram had obtained permission to establish a ‘Hanuman park’ in a half acre plot in his panchayat. The panchayat gave the permission for the park on September 5. Pushparaj said he had not seen the plan or outlay for the park. They had obtained his wife’s signature by meeting her directly. “She had not gone through the application and had no idea about the plan to install the statue,” he said.
Asirvatham, Kanyakumari district president of the Hindu Munnani, said, “The statue has been installed with the panchayat’s permission. We will not allow the statue to be removed,” he said.
Hanuman is the God of Millions of Hindus in India. Christians should not create communal problem by thinking that they are in England or America. In India they must live like brothers without hearing ill advice from foreigners and they must respect Hindu people’s sentiment of worshipping God.
