Mumbai police has registered a complaint against an eatery in Goregaon for hurting religious sentiments after an NGO took offence against it.
According to a report in Scroll.in, Watchdog Foundation, which claims to be working in the interest of Christians, has taken umbrage to the interior decoration of Goregaon Social, a pub in suburban Mumbai. The restaurant, which is one of a popular chain across the country, opened a few weeks ago and has, like its other branches, an eclectic sense of decor.
The ambience is of a church, with a tabernacle as the backdrop to the bar, pews for seats and images of Jesus Christ and his apostles in fancy attire and with gadgets painted on stained glass. The NGO called the depictions "outrageous" and "nothing short of blasphemy to Christianity", according to Hindustan Times.
The Archdiocese of Bombay issued an official press statement, also condemning the restaurant for hurting religious sentiments, and demanded it to be shut down. Activists establishment have also started an online petition demanding that the establishment be closed down immediately. If its trade licence, liquor permit, health licence and property are not confiscated within a 24-hour period, they have threatened to stage an agitation outside the Oberoi Mall, where it is located.
Although the restaurant owner hasn't commented on the fracas so far, reports say, the Archdiocese of Bombay has received an apology email from the owner of the Social group on Wednesday evening.
"I have handed over a printout of the letter to the cardinal. In the email, the pub management said they have already started removing the stickers and stained-glass paintings that were offensive to the Christian community," a representative of the Archdiocese told HT. "The cardinal will decide if he wants to accept the apology or not," he added.
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