Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
India

West Delhi Church Vandalized, Incident Captured On CCTV

IANS, 14 Jan, 2015 12:51 PM
    A church here was vandalized before dawn Wednesday, the fourth such incident in the capital in seven weeks, police said.
     
    The incident, which took place around 4.20 a.m., was captured by a CCTV camera installed inside the premises of Our Lady Of Graces Church at Vikaspuri in west Delhi.
     
    "The CCTV footage shows that two people came on a scooter. One entered the church's premises and smashed a glass window. He also threw the statue of Mother Mary on the floor," Father Balraj of the church told IANS.
     
    The police received a call from the church around 7.30 a.m.
     
    Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Monika Bhardwaj told IANS that a case had been filed against two unidentified men for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings.
     
    Bhardwaj said the police have a clear picture of one of the culprits who toppled the statue of Mother Mary and smashed the glass window. "He might be in his late 30s."
     
    Father Savarimuthu Sankar, spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, told IANS: "We see a clear pattern in these attacks."
     
    He said the attacks on churches occurring at regular intervals had unnerved Christians in Delhi.
     
    He said the attacks took place most on the city's outskirts and at four different directions within 44 days.
     
    "We cannot say if these incidents are related to the (coming Delhi) elections or the handiwork of some fundamentalists. But it is a matter of concern and police should take proper action," he added.
     
    Three churches were attacked earlier in separate incidents.
     
    Earlier this month, a minor fire was reported from a church in Rohini in west Delhi. The Christmas crib outside was charred.
     
    Last month, some unidentified people threw stones at Our Lady of Fatima Forane Church at Jasola in south Delhi and broke window panes during the evening Mass.
     
    St Sebastian's Church, a Catholic church at Dilshad Garden in east Delhi, was burnt down in December. Police confirmed it was a case of arson.
     
    According to the 2011 Census report, Christians number around 130,000 in Delhi, which is home to about 17 million. The Christian population in India is 24 million -- of the total 1.2 billion.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Modi vows to bring back black money

    Modi vows to bring back black money
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged in his radio address Sunday to bring back "every bit" of unaccounted wealth stashed abroad and said his...

    Modi vows to bring back black money

    Hafeez Saeed asks LeT to recruit flood-affected Kashmiri youths

    Hafeez Saeed asks LeT to recruit flood-affected Kashmiri youths
    Pakistani terrorist and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafeez Saeed has asked the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group to recruit youth in Kashmir who...

    Hafeez Saeed asks LeT to recruit flood-affected Kashmiri youths

    Online campaign seeks reopening of 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases

    Online campaign seeks reopening of 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases
    The central government was Saturday asked to reopen all closed cases and re-investigate the 1984 massacre of over 3,000 Sikhs following the assassination...

    Online campaign seeks reopening of 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases

    Punjab seeks punishment for Sikh riots perpetrators

    Punjab seeks punishment for Sikh riots perpetrators
    The Punjab government Friday said it would mount pressure on the central government to seek punishment for those who were involved in the killing of...

    Punjab seeks punishment for Sikh riots perpetrators

    1984 riots a dagger through India's chest: Modi

    1984 riots a dagger through India's chest: Modi
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was "like a dagger pierced through India's chest"....

    1984 riots a dagger through India's chest: Modi

    LeT module busted in Srinagar, two arrested

    LeT module busted in Srinagar, two arrested
    "Srinagar city police busted a LeT sleeper cell that was planning to carry out subversive activities in the city. Two militants have...

    LeT module busted in Srinagar, two arrested