An archbishop has conde-mned an attack on a revered Hindu seer’s statue in a south-ern Indian state. “We have learned through media reports of the unfortunate and deeply disturbing incident of the defacement and vandalization of the statue of the late Shivakumara Swamiji in Girinagar in Banga-lore,” Archbishop Peter Ma-chado of Bangalore said in a statement on Dec. 5. The act, which has rightfully outraged people, “has no place in our society,” the prelate said, urg-ing the public not to be pro-voked by such incidents. Police arrested a 37-year-old delivery executive for damaging the statue on Dec. 4. The bronze-colored statue of the Lingayat seer was vandalized in the early hours of Nov. 30. “We arrested him under Section 324 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (the new Indian penal code),” police told the media. Shiv Krishna hails from neighboring Andhra Pradesh state. During questioning, he claimed he was “inspir-ed” to deface the statue by a vision of Jesus Christ in a dream. “The claim of the alleged culprit is baseless,” the prelate observed. He said such statements can “sow discord and create communal tension.” The statue was installed five years ago and local residents staged a protest, demanding stiff punishment for the accus-ed. “The Swamiji has been an inspiration to countless indi-viduals,” Archbishop Machado said. His legacy promotes har-mony, and this act of disrespect toward him is a “violation of the very principles he upheld,” he noted. The prelate has urged the police to conduct an impartial investigation.