Mumbai: On 3rd May, 2017, the locals residing in Kalina woke up to find a Crucifix present at a popular junction, in the Big Village, Kalina vandalised. The Crucifix lies in an area where Catholics are present in large numbers. The statue of Jesus was shattered and the pieces were lying on the ground. The shopkeepers in the nearby area were one of the first people to find out about the incident early in the morning, around 6 am.
The locals and the Parish Priests of Our Lady of Egypt Church and St. Thomas Catholic Forane Church gathered along with the Corporator of the Kalina ward and registered a complaint against the desecration of the Crucifix with the Police. Due to the swift action taken by the Police, they were able to nab the suspect in a matter of hours by deploying teams to search around, armed with the CCTV footage obtained from a nearby shop. The suspect was a local, who was caught wearing the same outfit as seen in the footage. The culprit was accused of breaking the statue of Mother Mary in Kalina few years ago. The motive behind this incident is yet undisclosed by the local Police.
This incident is saddening as it comes close on the heels of a 100 year old Cross being demolished at Bandra, two days ago and the Statues of Mother Mary vandalised at Kurla in February, 3 months ago. As a sign of protest against the demolition of the 100 year old cross in Bandra, the faithful have been invited to a Silent Protest on 3rd May, 2017. These areas have a large number of Christian populations and such incidents have cause unrest in the hearts of the faithful.
