Thaindian News

Bangalore, Sep 11 (IANS) Karnataka Friday ordered an inquiry into the attack on a Catholic church on the outskirts of the city by unidentified miscreants early Thursday.
Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa told members of the state legislative assembly that the Corps of Detectives (CoD) of the city crime branch would probe the attack, in which two statues of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ were desecrated and window panes of the church broken.

“The CoD will inquire into the incident and submit a report to the home ministry soon. I will make a detailed statement on the incident after I get the investigative report,” Yeddyurappa said on the floor of the house.

The police have not yet identified the miscreants behind the attack on the St. Francis de Sales Church at Hebbagodi in Anekal taluk of Bangalore rural district. No suspects have also been arrested.

“The investigation is still in progress. We are inquiring with the people residing in the vicinity of the church if they had seen or heard of any group moving in the locality Wednesday night and in the wee hours of Thursday. We hope to crack the case soon,” Bangalore Rural superintendent B.A. Mahesh told IANS.

The attack has led to the police beefing up security across the city and post additional forces near places of worship in sensitive areas and where sizeable number of minority communities reside.

“We will not hesitate to issue shoot orders against any culprit vandalising churches or trespassing into places of worship to desecrate them,” Yeddyurappa assured the opposition members, who were agitated over repeated attacks on churches in the state for the second time in a year.

The opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) have lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for failing to prevent attack on the church.

“The police have no clue about who are behind the dastardly attack. What is the state intelligence wing doing? The minority communities in the state are at the mercy of communal forces and anti-social elements,” JD-S MP and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the state, also criticised the attack and called for a judicial probe into the incident.

Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras called on Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and apprised him of the situation. He also submitted a memorandum to the governor, seeking protection to churches and stringent action against the culprits.