Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto on Monday condemned the alleged vandalisation of a church in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area and expressed concern over the recent spate of such attacks.
"Another act of vandalism and targeted attack on our churches in Delhi is nothing but a reflection of the hate campaign and false propaganda by groups whose sole aim is to break the religious harmony and social peace of this great nation.
"The attack within a week after the celebration of Republic Day reflects a lot on the government and its failure to give protection to minorities and their religious structures," the archbishop said in a statement.
The Union home ministry has sought a report from the Delhi police on the incident. In a communication, the ministry also told the Delhi police to send a report as early as possible informing it what steps are being taken to ensure safety of religious places across the city.
The Delhi police has also been asked to inform how many arrests have been made in attacks on religious places in the last six months, sources said.
"As a miniscule minority, we focus on serving the poor and the nation at large. But the growing number of attacks on churches and personnel in different parts of the country is aimed at creating a fear psychosis and tension among different communities," he said.
The archbishop also demanded that the central government act swiftly in the matter and ensure that the law and order situation is properly maintained and religious harmony and social peace is upheld.
"The attacks on churches in Delhi certainly would cause irreparable damage to the country's reputation in the world as India is known for religious tolerance and unity in
diversity," he said.
The police said that the incident at St Alphonsa's church in Vasant Kunj took place at around 1 am and a case of theft has been registered in this connection against unidentified persons. "We are investigating the incident and scanning the footage of CCTV installed near the church to identify the accused. We are probing all the angles in the case," said a senior police official.
They said a number of sacred items were damaged in the incident. It is the fifth such attack in the city since November and has sparked outrage among the members of the Christian community.
Image: A view of in New Delhi's St Sebastian’s Church, where a fire that broke out in December last year, which church members had claimed was an act of vandalism. Photograph: PTI Photo
