Eight Sri Ram Sene activists arrested after spotted desecrating cross

Eight Sri Rama Sene activists have been arrested after they were spotted desecrating a cross atop a church in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

The extremists from the right-wing Hindu group, which has close links to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), were Friday sighted pulling down a cross at St. Lourdes Church in Bhatkal taluk.

Three days before the incident the group had reportedly threatened to attack churches in retaliation to the spate of 'racial' attacks on Indian nationals in Australia.

In a memorandum submitted to the Assistant Commissioner, the Bhatkal unit of Shri Ram Sene accused Christians for being part of a conspiracy against Hindu students in Australia.

If attacks on students continue, the sene warned that it would "ensure there is not a single church in Bhatkal".

Startlingly, the group's leader Shankar Naik even went on a local Kannada news channel claiming responsibility for the St. Lourdes attack.

It is on basis of this statement and the memorandum that the police arrested and filed an FIR against the group.

Additional Superintendent of Police V.B. Gaonkar told The Hindu that Shankar Naik, his brother Keshav Naik and Shankar Moger of the sene were among those arrested in connection with the attack.

Gaonkar said additional forces have been deployed at the church and other religious institutions to prevent such incidents.

Sri Ram Sene, which literally means "The Army of Lord Ram", was earlier in 2008 accused for a series of assaults on churches in Mangalore.

A fact-finding committee comprising of human rights activists had then pointed fingers at the Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sene for the attacks which they said was "planned" to cause hurt and resentment among Christians.

The group was officially banned in Goa in March 2008. Religious groups including moderate Hindus have called for a total ban of the sene in India.