By Matters India Reporter
Narmadapuram, Fen 13, 2023: Unidentified persons have set fire to a Protestant church in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Police have launched a probe against those behind the burning of the Evangelical Lutheran church under Kesla police station in Narmadapuram district.
People came to know about the incident only on February 12 morning when they went the church for their Sunday service.
“I do not know when it happened, but we came to know it on Sunday morning,” Church pastor Mahesh Kumre told Matters India on February 13.
According to him, the vandals entered the church through the grill after breaking it open.
They burnt everything inside the six-year-old church including a copy of the Bible, prayer books, fans and chairs among others.
Since none stayed in the church the vandals had sufficient time to destroy everything inside the church, the pastor said.
The miscreants also wrote on the church wall “Ram” after deleting a slogan in Hindi hailing Jesus.
Pastor Kumre expressed the hope that the police probe would unravel the mystery behind the sacrilegious act.
Sub-divisional officer of police Mahendra Singh Chauhan told media that a case has been registered against unidentified persons and efforts are on to trace the culprits.
The officer said special teams have been formed to identify and nab the vandals and a case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 295 for injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.
Sad indeed. Also why do we establish churches and communities if we can’t look after them?