MANGALORE, Mar 14 (DHNS)

A group of intellectuals here have condemned the destruction of pre- Islamic Buddha statues by the Talibans in Afghanistan, describing the act as an '' assault on history.''

''The heinous act has forced all religious people, humanists and faithful Muslims to bow down their heads in shame. The destruction exposes the cruelty which arises from the mind of all fundamentalisms,'' they said in a statement.

The signatories include Jnanapeeth awardee Prof U R Ananthamurthy, Magsaysay awardee K V Subbanna, Sahitya Academy awardee Prof C N Ramachandran, Dr N Murari Ballal, G Rajashekhar, Prof Mallepuram G Venkatesh, Prof T P Ashok, Mr Laxmish Tolpadi and Prof K S Kedlaya.

''Any person who swear by violence of any nature are a 'blot'' on their own religion. They create a reign of terror with their discriminatory approach. They start making a distinction between more and less regilious men in their own community forcing innocent people to suffer, the intellectuals collectively opined.

The destruction of Buddha statues is a negation of history and tradition. This is an inhuman and irreligious tendency which has become the basis of all fundamentalists.