St. Anthony statue in Valencia vandalized

St. Anthony statue in Valencia vandalized

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Dec 12, 2011: The glass case around the statue of St. Anthony, located in private property in Valencia, was smashed early in the morning of Monday. The statue of Infant Jesus, resting on the arm of St. Anthony, has been cracked. 

Romeo Saldanha, the owner of Vue Grande St. Anthony, a 4-storied villa, said that this must have happened somewhere between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Mr. Saldanha is the owner of a fleet of buses called St. Anthony. He says that certain miscreants must have done this under the influence of liquor.

Stating that the CCTVs have recorded the sound of an auto rickshaw, he said that the miscreants might have arrived on this rickshaw. 

The villa was constructed just 6 months back, and as Mr. Saldanha is a devotee of St. Anthony, he had installed the statue, protected by a glass case, on the left side of the residence, which lacks a compound wall. The villa is located at the beginning of the Sooterpet Road, which has a large welcome arch bearing the sign Shri Babbuswami Mahadwara. 

When asked if this could be the work of communal elements, Mr. Saldanha said that he enjoys good relationships with people of all religions and that he donates to Kordadbu Temple every year. 

When asked why he had kept the statue in a place that attracts a number of passers by, he said that he is a devotee of St. Anthony and knew that several people like offering prayers to the saint. Stating that he is in the habit of offering prayers at 5:00 a.m. daily, he said that he was shocked to see that the statue was damaged. 

ACP Dharmaiah, DCP Jagannath, and other police personnel visited the place. The Pandeshwar Police have registered a case.