Malavalli (Mandya) : Miscreants attacked a Roman Catholic Church situated on Sultan Road in Malavalli in Mandya district on early hours of Thursday and damaged the tabernacle. Miscreants had gained entry into the church by break opening the latch of a side door. The incident came to light when the church was opened on Thursday morning.

The glass case in which the statue of St Joseph was kept has also been damaged in the incident. Silver articles and sarees kept inside the almirah in the adjacent room have been stolen. The church priest was out of the town when the incident took place.

Fr Anthappa expressing his shock said, “I will not blame anybody; let the police investigate the case and identify the culprits.” It has been established that the people of the town are cordial with the priest.

Fingerprints experts visited the spot. Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) Jeevankumar Gaonkar, Mandya SP Koushalendra Kumar and others visited the spot. IGP Gaonkar assured that the accused would be arrested at the earliest. “Only a thorough investigation will prove whether it was an attack or an attempt to steal or if the
intention was to disturb peace in society,” he said.

Mysore MP Adagur H Vishwanath visited the church and condemned the attack. He termed the incident as unfortunate and said that it had taken place even after the State government promised to take stern action after the release of the interim report of Justice B K Somasekhara in connection with the attacks on Churches in the State.