Now, miscreants vandalise Agra church, wrap dog chain around statue of Mother Mary

Agra, April 16: In yet another attack on christian buildings, a church has been vandalized on Wednesday night in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, the St Mary's Church in Agra cantonment area was vandalised at around 3.30 am.

Church priests said that miscreants have damaged the statues of Mother Mary and Baby Jesus.

An FIR has been registered at Rakabganj police station against unknown persons, they said, adding that two statues on the church premises were found damaged along with its main gate.

District and police officials reached the church in the morning to review security arrangements, police said.

Meanwhile, Christian community leaders in Agra are furious over the incident and have demanded firm action against the culprits within 24 hours.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings in the last few months.

Last month, an elderly nun was allegedly gangraped at a convent school in West Bengal by miscreants who also looted cash from its lockers. Two Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested in connection with the March 14 incident.

A cathedral premises and a missionary school where people had gathered for a religious convention were vandalised allegedly by Hindu activists in Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh on March 20. Six persons allegedly belonging to a right-wing Hindu group were apprehended over the incident but were later let off on bail.

'Attacks on churches not political in nature'

Speaking on the incidents of attacks on churches, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asserted that the recent attacks on churches and rape of a nun were not political or communal issues but law and order problems.

He said while the attacks on churches in Delhi were cases of theft and drunken brawl, some Bangladeshi Muslims had allegedly raped the nun in West Bengal.

"Now that most of these cases have been resolved, not a single case is of a majority community attack or of a political nature," he said.

Regretting that the incidents were portrayed as "a concerted attempt by majority community" attack on place of worship of a minority community, Jaitley said the media was to blame for creating such a perception globally.

OneIndia News

(With agency inputs)