Marian Grotto Vandalised in Suspected Hate Crime in Odisha’s Kahupani Village

Kutra, Odisha, 31 MAY 2025 – In a disturbing incident that took place around midnight on May 29, 2025, unidentified miscreants suspected to be motivated by religious fanaticism vandalised a Marian Grotto at the Chhurichokha-Sadhumunda junction in Odisha’s Kahupani village and set ablaze the statue of Our Lady of Vailankanni enclosed within it. The incident was discovered on the morning of May 30, and an FIR has been lodged at the Kutra police station. Police are currently investigating the matter. The incident has sparked outrage and concern among the local Catholic community.

Tire marks found at the site suggest that the attackers arrived on motorbikes. The miscreants are suspected to have broken open the protective glass case of the statue and poured petrol on it, setting it on fire and reducing it to ashes.

The grotto was built through the initiative of the laity under the leadership of the Kahupani Parish Employees Association, with the support of Catholic communities from six surrounding substations of the parish. It had been solemnly inaugurated on April 15, 2025, in the presence of a large gathering of the faithful and guests. Located at the starting point of the annual Good Friday Way of the Cross procession that concludes at Chhurichokha Mountain, the grotto had quickly become a significant spiritual landmark.

Speaking to Catholic Connect from the site of the vandalised grotto, Mr. Thomas Minj, National Treasurer and former Odisha State President of the All India Catholic Union, expressed deep sorrow over the incident. "Yesterday morning, we found out that the grotto had been vandalised and the statue of Our Lady of Health Vailankanni had been burnt to ashes by unknown miscreants," he said. “This is the first time such an incident has happened in the Kahupani parish area,” he added.

Minj, who resides in Sambalpur, 200 km from the site, had personally donated the statue for the grotto. He affirmed that such an act would not deter the faith of the local Christian community. “We will install another statue at the same site. We will not be discouraged. Our faith in Our Lady of Health Vailankani remains strong and unshaken,” Minj stated.

Although no CCTV footage is available, local police, vigilance officers, and other officials have visited the site. Investigations are ongoing, but no arrests have been made so far.

The incident has raised concerns about rising religious intolerance and the safety of minority communities in the region. Community leaders have called for swift action and justice.

By Catholic Connect Reporter