New Delhi: A church in west Delhi's Vikaspuri was vandalised early on Wednesday morning, the police have said.
"The CCTV footage clearly shows that someone has done this deliberately. One person came on a scooter, broke the glass, then returned a minute later and toppled the statue," Assistant Priest Father Balraj of Our Lady of Graces Church told NDTV.
The police said they had received a call from the church at 7.30 in the morning. They said they are collecting footage from CCTV cameras installed inside the church and outside to identify the attackers.
"A clear pattern of orchestrated attacks on churches is emerging as more and more churches are targeted, vandalised and set on fire. This is very disturbing and we request the local authorities to take adequate measures to bring to book the miscreants who are threatening to weaken the social fabric of this great nation." Delhi's Archbishop Anil JT Couto said today.
There have been three attacks on churches in Delhi recently.
Earlier this month, a minor fire was reported from a church in Rohini in Outer Delhi. The Christmas crib placed outside the church building was completely charred.
The head priest, Father Cyril Patrick, was the first to spot it after the mass, and called the police. "I don't want to blame anyone or any particular group but I think this deliberately done by someone," he told NDTV.
The police took the CCTV footage for further investigation and registered an FIR.
Last month, a Catholic church in East Delhi's Dilshad Garden area, the St Sebastian's Church, was burnt down in a fire that the police confirmed was a case of arson.
A forensic team had found traces of kerosene inside the church premises.
Archbishop Couto had at the time written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to urgently order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Chiristian groups had protested and the matter, which was also raised in Parliament. The Home Minister had also announced the setting up of an SIT to investigate and nab those behind the fire.
"The CCTV footage clearly shows that someone has done this deliberately. One person came on a scooter, broke the glass, then returned a minute later and toppled the statue," Assistant Priest Father Balraj of Our Lady of Graces Church told NDTV.
The police said they had received a call from the church at 7.30 in the morning. They said they are collecting footage from CCTV cameras installed inside the church and outside to identify the attackers.
There have been three attacks on churches in Delhi recently.
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The head priest, Father Cyril Patrick, was the first to spot it after the mass, and called the police. "I don't want to blame anyone or any particular group but I think this deliberately done by someone," he told NDTV.
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Last month, a Catholic church in East Delhi's Dilshad Garden area, the St Sebastian's Church, was burnt down in a fire that the police confirmed was a case of arson.
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Archbishop Couto had at the time written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to urgently order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
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