A church in Karnataka’s Mysuru district was vandalised by a group of unidentified individuals two days after Christmas on Tuesday, December 27. The incident took place at St Mary's Church in Periyapatna, about 85 km from Mysuru city. The perpetrators broke the back door of the church to get in and damaged a statue of Baby Jesus inside the church. They also stole some money along with the church’s offering box, the police said.
The vandalism and theft were discovered at around 7 pm on Tuesday by a staff member of the church, who immediately alerted the pastor. A complaint was filed with the Periyapatna police by Father John Paul, which said that the perpetrators had destroyed the statue of Baby Jesus placed in a crib. Police teams have been formed to track down the culprits, who are currently absconding.
The perpetrators may have entered the church knowing that Father John Paul was out of town and the caretaker was on leave, the police said. The police will review footage from CCTV cameras on the church premises to identify the individuals responsible for the incident.
Periyapatna police have registered a case under Sections 295 A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 380 (theft at a dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The incident occurred two days after Christmas. Earlier in December, members of Akhila Bharath Cristha Mahasabha had approached the Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police seeking police protection for peaceful celebrations of Christmas in Bengaluru. Members of the group had told TNM that the Christian community has been a target of violence since the anti-conversion law was passed by the Karnataka government.