An under-construction church was vandalised in Haryana's Hisar district
A small plot of land in Haryana's Hisar district, a four-hour drive from Delhi, has turned into a precinct of deep tension after the church that was being built here was vandalised. A cross was removed and stolen, according to a police complaint, and an idol of Hanuman was installed inside over a week ago.
The police removed the stone idol on Friday when a police case was filed against 14 people by priest Subhash Chand. The men are accused of rioting and damaging a place of worship but, so far, nobody has been arrested - the police say it is still mid-inquiry.
Mr Chand alleged that he had been receiving threats since February, with people coming to his house late at night and threatening him against constructing the church. He left the village last week; after that, his landlord reportedly phoned him and said the house was no longer available to him.
In October, Haryana elected a BJP government. "Law will take its own course... we have booked people involved, strict action will be taken," said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Residents of the village held a meeting of the panchayat (village council) today where they made it clear that they will oppose the arrest of any locals. They claimed that the priest had bought the land to build a house and then began construction on a church. They also alleged that he has been trying to convert villagers to Christianity.