Close X
Friday, November 8, 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

    Decide on Delhi assembly's fate, SC tells Centre

    Decide on Delhi assembly's fate, SC tells Centre
    The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the central government to take a decision on the fate of the Delhi assembly which was placed under suspended animation after the AAP...

    Decide on Delhi assembly's fate, SC tells Centre

    44 Kerala nurses from Libya arrive in Kochi

    44 Kerala nurses from Libya arrive in Kochi
    The first batch of 44 Kerala nurses, evacuated from Libya, arrived here Tuesday morning, said a state government official....

    44 Kerala nurses from Libya arrive in Kochi

    Modi government stretches every muscle for Lok Sabha's smooth functioning

    Modi government stretches every muscle for Lok Sabha's smooth functioning
    It is not just the sheer numbers that are giving the BJP smooth sailing in Lok Sabha. The ruling party and government are making that extra effort to...

    Modi government stretches every muscle for Lok Sabha's smooth functioning

    WTO move: Pakistani daily calls India powerful

    WTO move: Pakistani daily calls India powerful
    India is "powerful enough" to block an initiative at the WTO, said a Pakistani daily that, however, noted the move is "something of a U-turn by the neo-liberal" Indian...

    WTO move: Pakistani daily calls India powerful

    Modi's visit a symbolic new start: Nepali daily

    Modi's visit a symbolic new start: Nepali daily
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Nepal marks "more of a symbolic new start", said a Nepali daily that noted the failure to reach...

    Modi's visit a symbolic new start: Nepali daily

    CIA penetrated every sphere of UPA: Natwar Singh

    CIA penetrated every sphere of UPA: Natwar Singh
    Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh has alleged that the US exerted pressure on then prime minister Manmohan Singh in the choice of his ministers...

    CIA penetrated every sphere of UPA: Natwar Singh