Media Release

Mangaluru, Aug 16: The Mangalore diocese has strongly objected to the recent allegations made by opposition leader R Ashoka, who claimed that the anonymous masked person demanding excavation in Dharmasthala village had converted to Christianity and that foreign funds were involved.

In a joint statement, diocese PROs Fr J B Saldanha and Roy Castelino questioned the credibility of Ashoka’s remarks. “Such statements appear to be based purely on rumours. A person in a responsible position like the Leader of Opposition should not make childish comments without evidence,” they said.

The diocese also expressed disappointment over former union minister B Janardhana Poojary’s comments linking the controversy to Christian cemeteries. “In Christian burial grounds, no anonymous or unclaimed bodies are buried. Every burial is documented, and only members of the respective church are interred. Even members from other churches are not buried there,” the statement clarified.

The PROs maintained that Poojary’s remarks stemmed from ignorance. “Dragging Christian cemeteries into the Dharmasthala issue has deeply hurt our sentiments. Such comparisons are unfounded and misleading,” they added.