Karnataka: Mysuru church vandalized, Jesus statue broken days after Christmas
A group of unidentified individuals on Tuesday vandalized a church in Karnataka's Mysuru, the police revealed. It also reported that the church's statue of baby Jesus was also damaged. The St. Mary's Church in Periyapatna of Mysuru was vandalized just two days after Christmas. Numerous police teams have been assembled to trace the accused on the run, reported NDTV.
Probe underway by Mysuru police
The cops are reviewing the CCTV footage installed on the church's premises to try and identify the accused. "We are scouting for clues received from the CCTV footage. Prima Facie, it appears to be a case of theft, as they ran away with money, and also with one collection box that was placed outside the church," Mysuru Superintendent of Police Seema Latkar stated.
Accused broke church's backdoor to enter: Police
As per reports, a staff of the church first noticed the damage at 6 pm on Tuesday and called a pastor immediately. Police also stated the accused had broken the church's back door to enter. Numerous Christian missionaries and churches have been facing the ire of certain political and religious outfits over the last few months due to the claims of forced religious conversion.
Money from the church's donation box missing: Cops
The police revealed that money from the donation box was also missing, and the cops have initiated a probe and are investigating the incident from different angles, reported India Today.
Karnataka's anti-conversion law
Earlier in 2022, the Karnataka government had officially passed the anti-conversion bill that bans conversion "from one religion to another by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any of these means or by the promise of marriage." With this, Karnataka joined several other BJP-ruled states with laws to contain forcible religious conversions.
Violence against Christians in last few days
Over the past few days, numerous states have reported targeted religious violence. Last week on Friday, a group of men armed with sticks attacked a Christmas program in Uttarakashi, Uttarakhand, claiming forced conversions were being done over there. Furthermore, two individuals were also arrested on Monday in Uttar Pradesh for reportedly converting individuals to Christianity.
Over 300 attacks on Christians in India till July: Report
In September, the Centre told the Supreme Court that public interest litigation urging action against attacks on Christians was based on "self-serving reports." Statistics put together by a non-governmental organization based on distress calls it received on a helpline number had recorded over 300 incidents of attacks on Christians until July this year, reported The Wire.
