The statue of Lingayat seer Shivakumar Swami situated at Bengaluru’s Siddaganga Mutt was vandalised in the early hours of November 30.
The accused Srikrishna is a 37-year-old delivery executive from Andhra Pradesh, who has been nabbed.
During interrogation, he claimed he was “inspired” to deface the statue by a vision of Jesus Christ in a dream.
The incident took place in Veerabhadra Nagar, where Srikrishna allegedly partially damaged the statue before leaving the scene.
Local residents discovered the defacement the following morning and informed authorities.
The police then arrested Srikrishna and produced him in court, where he was remanded in judicial custody.
Archbishop of Bengaluru, Dr Peter Machado, denounced the accused’s statement as “baseless and reprehensible” and urged the public not to be provoked by such acts.
“This disrespect towards a saint, who symbolised peace, is unacceptable,” he said.
It has been learnt that the Police have conducted a medical examination of the accused to assess his mental health and are continuing their investigation.
Shivakumar Swami, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 111, was widely respected for his philanthropic contributions, particularly in education and social welfare. The seer was often referred to as a “walking God” by his followers.
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