Mysuru Church Vandalised, Statue of Baby Jesus Damaged
Image Courtesy: NDTV
A church was vandalised and a statue of baby Jesus was damaged days after Christmas in Mysuru by unknown people.
According to a report by NDTV, the St Mary's Church at Mysuru's Periyapatna has been vandalised on Tuesday and several teams have been formed to trace the accused who are on the run.
The report said that a member of the church staff saw the damage in the evening and informed the police immediately. According to the police, the accused had entered the church by breaking the back door. Footage from the CCTV cameras installed on the church premises is being checked to identify the accused, said the report.
Seema Latkar, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mysuru told ANI that it appeared to be a case of “theft” as the money box and other valuables were found missing.
This is one of the many incidents reported in the past few years when the minority community has been targeted. A group of men carrying sticks had attacked a Christmas celebration in Uttarkashi on Friday. They had alleged that forced conversions were being carried out there.
In January 2020, the St. Francis of Assisi Church located in Kengeri – a satellite town of Bengaluru – was also vandalised by unidentified people.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly in September passed the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2022 to stop alleged conversions in the state. The state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had claimed that there have been “many instances” of conversion by means of “allurement”, “coercion”, and “fraudulent means”.
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