Karnataka: With No Communication, Officials Bring Down The Cross on Susai Palya Hill

By Verghese V Joseph –

Bengaluru: Despite the issue pending in the court and no written communication, officials and police personnel brought down the Cross unceremoniously from a hill just behind St Joseph’s Devalaya (church) at Susai Palya in Gerahalli village near Chikkaballapura district in the southern Karnataka state of India.

Susai means Joseph and palya (place) offers a picturesque view of the nearby rocky hills. Chikkaballapura is 67 kms from state capital Bangalore.

On Wednesday morning at 6 am, the Cross was broken down and removed in a presence of nearly 300 police personnel, administrative officials Tasildar in-charge Ms Tulsi, Assistant commissioner Mr Raghunandan, KAS; senior police officials Mithun Kumar G K, IPS; and S P R K Ravishankar. The whole hillock was barricaded and people were not allowed to go anywhere near the spot.

When Fr Francis Britto, parish priest of St Joseph’s Devalaya, requested from them a court order or a written communication, the officials said that they were not in a position to share it with him. When Fr Britto tried to reason out that the Cross could be honourably brought down, they were unrelenting and went ahead with the demolition. This grave act has caused deep anguish within community and the villagers in the region.

Bangalore Archdiocese’s PRO and spokesperson J. A Kanthraj said that they would appeal to the court seeking reinstallation of the Cross, till a permanent solution is found. The community hopes that this will not take a communal angle and prayed for peace in the region.

St Joseph’s Devalaya, Susai Palaya has been in existence serving the pastoral and spiritual needs of the Christian families in and around Susai Palya since 1878. The Easter season is an important event in the Christian calendar when people go up the hill in commemoration of the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ to mark the death of Jesus on the Cross. It was in this season for a brief time the local Parish Priest along with the congregation of people would go up the hill to pray . This practice in in vogue for over 60-70 years now. People from other faiths too attend in the prayers on their own freewill.

Thousands of people drawn from all over Chikaballapura district would converge for this all-important religious celebration. All through there has been peace and no conflict has been reported. It must be mentioned here that the non-Christian brethren have been very cooperative and understanding in this matter.

The said land is only 8 acres and is part of the Gomala land measuring 173 acres and 39 guntas under survey number 10 of Kasaba Hobli, Arkere in Susaipalya. The land comprising a small hill is being peacefully used by the Christian Community for a long time.

In 2014, it was on the earnest suggestion of the villagers there and also by the then Parish Priest Rev Fr Gnanamani Roys of St. Francis Xavier’s Church that a young priest Fr Arun Santosh took up the request to erect a Cross. The concrete cross was built with the help of many people from other communities from Susai Palya’s nearby villages who volunteered with cement, sand and crushed stones. Many people came forward to lend their manpower as workers. While some of them worked free of cost, a few of them worked for lesser amount as wages.

Many people from all walks of life and from nearby places come and venerate the cross and take part in the Stations of the Cross atop the hill.