Three churches attacked in Indore

Three churches attacked in Indore
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Indore, May 12: Miscreants ransacked a church damaging the holy cross and threw stones at two other churches in the city here last night, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Bhagwant Singh Chauhan said security had been beefed up in the vicinity of the three churches and a manhunt launched to arrest the culprits following complaints by the church priests.

Father Ramesh Chandekar of St Paul's Church told PTI that miscreants damaged the holy cross, the prayer place and broke holy utensils and the mike system.

He said the miscreants also threw stones at a church in Vandana Nagar and the Messiah Vidya Bhavan, another church on the Jail Road.

Senior police officials rushed to the churches on getting information of the attacks and posted policemen for security.

Additional SP, Jaideep Prasad, said police has made some preventive arrests and is in contact with the religious heads of the institutions.

The attacks come on the eve of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit to the city who is scheduled to visit a children's home which Sanskritik Jagarn Manch (a cultural awareness forum) allege is being handed over to Christian missionaries on the behest of Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi and has threatened to protest the visit by showing black flags.