Javed Akhtar "Shamed" By Removal Of Jesus Christ Statue Near Bengaluru

Veteran lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar commented this morning on the removal of a Jesus Christ statue from a hill near Bengaluru, saying that as an atheist the move had caused him to "hang my head in shame". Mr Akhtar, while recognising the removal had been carried out on orders from the Karnataka government, also highlighted India's religious diversity and tolerance, recalling that a church had been built in Agra with "permission and blessings" of Mughal emperor Akbar.