Bishop slams demolition of the first four crosses out of 729
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai’s municipal government, has started to tear down 729 crosses, ostensibly for the purpose of urban renewal. Mgr Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, firmly condemned the action, calling it “unjust and illegal”. He added that legal action against the municipality could not be excluded.
Two days earlier, state authorities had reassured concerned citizens that religious structures built before 1964 would be protected. However, the BMC went ahead anyway, tearing down the cross at Hathi Baug, Love Lane, in Mazgaon (Mumbai). Two more crosses were demolished on D’Lima Street in Byculla. The demolition squad even broke the plaque marking the date of construction (1936) of one of them.
On Saturday, the BMC had issued 48-hour demolition notices for a number of ‘illegal’ religious structures in 24 administrative wards. Residents in Hathi Baug and Byculla complained however that their cross was “legal” and “of great significance even to non-Christians in the area.
According to the BMC, demolitions are part of an urban renewal plan to remove “illegal” places of worship built after 1964. The plan aims at widening roads and improving traffic and needs land earmarked for public use.
Following peaceful protests by Christian residents, the BMC said that structures built before 1964 would not be touched. And yet, it proceeded to tear down crosses built before the cut-off date as indicated in the papers in the possession of local Christians.
A meeting was arranged at Cross Maidan, South Mumbai, with Christian residents and Card Oswald Gracias.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr Gracias expressed “sadness and anger” at the “unfair act against the law abiding and peaceful Christian community.” The municipal government, he said, “has done an unlawful act, especially since we were assured that our crosses would not be demolished. Last night I personally visited the site where the cross has stood since 1936, and it was heart wrenching to see the helplessness of the people, elderly women, youngsters, children, families; all so helplessly standing amidst the rubble”. For many, the cross was a token of protection.
First, it “was very insensitive for the BMC to paste the [demolition] notices on the crosses,” the prelate said. It “was completely wrong. It was a defilement of our religious symbol.” What is more, the notices ordered “cross owners/trustees to furnish details of its legality (i.e. built before 1964) within 48 hours.”
Second, “in 2003, all the relevant documentation was submitted to the BMC. It is not the fault of the Christian community if the BMC could not locate/retrieve their files.”
“These crosses were built by individual families and mostly on private property, but over the years because of many reasons, including road widening, they found themselves on public land,” the archbishop said. “I myself saw the plaque at Hathi Baug, Love Lane, in Mazgaon”. It says that “the cross was erected in 1936,” whilst, “The Supreme Court ruled that 1964 was the cut-off date.”
“The cross at Hathi Baug, Love Lane, in Mazgaon, stood at the end of a road, and was in no way obstructing traffic. We are seriously contemplation taking the BMC to court for breaking the crosses.”
The BMC has justified its action, saying that the religious structures prevent the widening of the roads and improve traffic. For the municipality, the structures are on land earmarked for public services.
“The cross is the symbol of our faith,” Mgr Gracias said. “These crosses were built as a token of gratitude to God for protecting people.” They are also a sign of a desire “to seek God’s continued blessings”. For the prelate, they “inspire hope among all people,” and are a “symbol of God that is part of the cultural and religious heritage of the great city of Mumbai.” Furthermore, “I too was born and brought up in this beautiful city and these crosses are an intrinsic part of who we are.”
“The chief minister, who is currently out of Mumbai, phoned me this morning, and apologised for the demolition of the crosses. He stated that instructions were given that the crosses should not be demolished. I will be meeting with him on his return to the city and will demand that the BMC rebuild the crosses at the same site. Ironically, even as the Chief Minister was apologising to me, news came of another cross being demolished at Dadar. This bring the tally to four.”
“The religious sentiments of the community have been seriously grieved, wounded and this is not acceptable,” Archbishop Gracias said.
For members of the local section of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the municipality’s action is illegal.
Ashish Shelar, a lawyer and a member of the BMC council for the BJP, said he would move to stop further demolitions. In the standing committee, he called for a stop to the demolition of religious structures because it violates a Supreme Court ruling.
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25/04/2016 09:19
