There Are Statues, And Then There Are Idols

Note the subtle difference in these two stories, both about the recent discovery of a statue of the Goddess Durga. First, from The Daily Rising Kashmir:

Statue of Hindu goddess discovered from Jhelum

Asem Mohiuddin
Baramulla, Feb 13: A statue of Hindu goddess, Maa Durga Sherawali was discovered by some fishermen from river Jhelum here on Saturday. The white-coloured statue, 2.3 inches in height and 1.10 inches in width, was found intact except for one of the hands out of the seven broken.

Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Sub District Magistrate, Baramulla, Syed Muhammad Yousuf said the statue was recovered from fishermen of Dewanbagh, Ushkara.

“The fisherman of the area approached Deputy Commissioner and informed him that they have recovered the statue from river Jhelum. The authorities immediately dispatched a team to the spot and secured the statue which was later been kept in a strong room of District Treasury till the legal process for its preservation is decided,” Yousuf said.

The SDM said the significance of the discovery can only be revealed after proper investigation by experts.

Meanwhile, a fisherwoman, Hajira of Dewanbagh area claimed that the statue had been in the river for the last many years.

“I along with my son once spotted the statue two years back. But after attempting to bring it up the boat shook horribly and we decided to leave it. Today when the water level raised, the statue again emerged and was trapped in some other fisherman’s net,” Hajira said.

And, from the Press Trust of India:

Goddess Durga idol recovered

STAFF WRITER 18:37 HRS IST
Srinagar, Feb 13 (PTI) A marble idol of goddess Durga astride a lion was recovered from river Jhelum in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir today.

The idol, measuring 2x2-ft, was found by the villagers while they were fishing in the river, official sources said.

The idol was handed over to police and later to the Revenue department.

I'd still like to see the word "goddess" capitalized in the first story, but it's far better than the second story.

Picture (of a similar statue of Durga) found here.