Bronze Parashurama statue installed on Bailur Umikal hill in Karkala disappears

UDUPI: A bronze statue of Parashurama, which was installed in the theme park built on Bailur Umikal hill in Karkala taluk, has disappeared overnight.

Follwing the disappearance of the statue, Karkala Congress members said that the statue of Parashurama was a fake and demanded that former Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar clarify on this.

During the previous BJP government, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the new theme park. The opening of the theme park was seen as a huge success for the MLAs because it was unveiled a few months ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections.

After the inauguration, the locals expressed doubts when the theme park was closed to complete the installation of lightning resistance and other pending works. A controversy was also stirred around the Parashurama statue saying that it was fake and the work was substandard. Now, the statue on the hill has itself disappeared.

District in-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar discussed the issue with the authorities concerned and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. As the work was being carried out under tight police security for the last few days, suspicion over the work has now increased. The complete removal of the idol has now led to suspicion over its quality.

Karkala Congress will hold a protest on Monday regarding this issue. The renovation of the bronze statue will be completed by the end of November. In the meantime, the MLAs have been urged to clarify on the Parashurama statue.