A Church in Karnataka was set on fire, as Christians nationwide were celebrating the canonisation of an Indian saint on October 13.
St Anthony's Church in Yadavanahalli on the outskirts of Bangalore, was reportedly set on fire by miscreants causing a damage of over Rs 10 lakh.
Shockingly, the church even had police constables designated following the recent violence on churches and prayer halls in the state.
While police authorities attributed the fire to an accident, church people refused the claim and said, “It was a deliberate act” to intensify the communal violence.
Father C Francis said that it was a clear case of arson. He further added that eight sacred hymnbooks and other valuable articles had been targeted in this alleged attack.
If the incident was a result of a short circuit as claimed by the police then why did the electric cables not melt? Fr Francis questioned, adding, the electric equipments were in perfect condition.
He urged the government to act promptly and arrest those responsible for the attack.
The police have sent the materials to the forensic laboratory, to verify the cause of the fire.