Sanal Edamaruku facing arrest

Mumbai Mirror reports that the President of the Indian Rationalist Association is facing arrest for proclaiming that  the “dripping cross” outside Vile Parle’s Velankanni church is not a miracle, but the result of capillary action bringing water that had accumulated nearby. He also demonstrated it using some photographs he had taken at the place. And all this was shown on television. Naturally, some of the believers would have been upset with this clear demonstration of natural causes for the water dripping from the cross! It is sad that our people continue to believe in such miracles and get cheated by charlatans. In my view this indicates a problem with our science education system.

You can read the Mumbai Mirror report here.

James Randi, well-known stage magician and scientific skeptic writes about the incident here  

To quote from the Mumbai Mirror report: 

FIR against rationalist for questioning ‘miracle’

Man files complaint against Sanal Edamaruku who dismissed water dripping from Jesus statue as due to capillary action, saying he had made statements against the Church

Mumbai was the birthplace of the Indian Rationalist Association (IRA), founded in 1930 by Mumbaikar R P Paranjpe. Almost a century later, it has also become the first city to have an FIR filed against the President of the IRA.

The FIR has been filed by another Mumbaikar, Agnelo Fernandes, President of the Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum.

CR 61/2012, Juhu Police Station, has been filed against miracle-buster Sanal Edamaruku, who is also founder-president of the Rationalist International, which has scientists such as Richard Dawkins in it.

The FIR has been filed under IPC Sec 295A: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. The offence is cognizable and non-bailable.