A newly opened church in West Delhi’s Matiala was allegedly ransacked by local miscreants when they were offering Sunday mass prayers, Delhi Police said. Locals said that those offering prayers were also allegedly assaulted by miscreants.
According to locals, a group of 20 to 30 people was carrying out mass action at Ankur Narula Church at around 11 am on Sunday when a group of miscreants belonging to Bajrang Dal came and disrupted the proceedings. In addition, they vandalized the entrance and signboards of the church and allegedly assaulted some locals who attended the prayer.
A woman who was part of the prayer, requesting anonymity, said a group of 30 to 40 people entered the church, which had only been open a week earlier, and began using abusive words against worshipers. . He said that the group reached the church again in the evening and ransacked the church. “They were all armed and we managed to nab one of them, who confessed that he belonged to the group,” the woman said.
However, according to a senior police officer, the place was originally a warehouse which was recently converted into a church. The officer said that after receiving information about the violence, the police team of Bindapur police station reached the spot and took statements of both the parties. “The locals objected and claimed that the godown was converted into a church overnight and started shouting slogans and vandalizing the place,” the official said.
An FIR has been registered against the miscreants under sections of rioting and against those involved in the mob for violating the DDMA guidelines related to Covid-19, the official said. Efforts are on to identify the miscreants, the official said.