Mangaluru: In an another case of disturbing communal peace in the coastal city, unidentified miscreants targeted St. Joseph’s church, Deralakatte on the outskirts of the city here on Tuesday night. This follows the church attacks in New Delhi.
Fr. Vincent, Parish priest of the church told newskarnataka.com that the miscreants pelted stones on the statue of Mother Mary placed outside the old chapel, which is named after St. Joseph Vaz. The chapel is located very close to the church. The incident came to light today morning, he said. He mentioned that there were no Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in the chapel.
Earlier in the day, State Health minister U T Khadar, who is also the MLA of the constituency, visited the spot and assured action. He asked the Assistant Commissioner of Police to establish a check post in the region to monitor activities in the night.
ACP Shankar Shetty, Sub Inspector Bharati are further investigating. A case has been registered in this regard.
Anti-social elements
Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, who visited the site in the morninn told IANS that “Some anti-social elements threw a stone and damaged the glass of a statue to create insecurity and panic in society,”.
The minister said the site was littered with cigarette butts and hinted that the group might have been small.
He said police is looking for the culprits and that other citizens have also joined the operation. “It is between good society and bad society. All 90 percent of the good society will join against them,” he said. Khader said the church, located beside a graveyard in an isolated place, is 250 years old and was renovated 10 to 15 years ago.
