Mangaluru Diocese Officials Denounce Allegations Regarding Dharmasthala Burials
Mangaluru: The Public Relations Officers of the Mangalore Diocese, Rev. Fr. J. B. Saldanha and Roy Castelino, have vehemently refuted recent allegations made by Opposition Leader R. Ashok concerning the Dharmasthala burial controversy. At a press conference held earlier today, the officials addressed claims made by R. Ashok, stating that the anonymous masked individual alleging the burial of hundreds of bodies in Dharmasthala was a Christian convert receiving foreign funds.
Rev. Fr. Saldanha and Mr. Castelino questioned the basis of R. Ashok’s accusations, emphasizing the lack of concrete evidence supporting his assertions. They criticized the Opposition Leader’s remarks as “childish” and unbecoming of a person holding such a responsible position. “A leader of the Opposition should not make statements without any evidence,” stated Rev. Fr. Saldanha, urging Mr. Ashok to provide substantiation for his claims.
The Diocese officials also addressed comments made by former Union Minister B. Janardhana Poojary, who, while commenting on the Dharmasthala developments, raised the issue of Christian cemeteries. Rev. Fr. Saldanha clarified that Christian burial grounds adhere to strict protocols, with meticulous records maintained for every interred body. He emphasized that no anonymous or unclaimed bodies are ever buried in Christian cemeteries. Furthermore, he stated that only the bodies of members of the respective church are buried in church cemeteries, and not even members of other churches are allowed to be buried there.
“We feel that Sri Janardhana Poojary has made such a statement without any knowledge of Christian burial grounds, and he should not have said so,” asserted Mr. Castelino. He expressed the Diocese’s deep disappointment that the matter of Christian cemeteries was unnecessarily dragged into the discussion surrounding the alleged burials in Dharmasthala. “In the rush of making a statement about digging land in Dharmasthala village, unnecessarily dragging in the matter of Christian cemeteries has caused us deep pain,” he added.
The Mangalore Diocese officials urged responsible discourse and emphasized the importance of basing public statements on verified information rather than unsubstantiated rumors. They called upon both R. Ashok and B. Janardhana Poojary to reconsider their statements and refrain from making unsubstantiated claims that could potentially incite communal discord. The Diocese reiterated its commitment to transparency and cooperation with any legitimate investigation into the Dharmasthala matter, while firmly condemning the spread of misinformation and baseless accusations.
