Attack on Church, 9 arrests, Govt assures action

     Raipur, March 07, 2016: Nine people were arrested till today on the Raipur church attack incident as the Chhattisgarh Government assured stringent action against the culprits.

     “Nine people have been arrested so far in yesterday’s incident in the church,” Raipur District Superintendent of Police Badri Narayan Meena said here today.

      “The investigation is on and more arrest cannot be ruled out,” he said replying to a question.

     “No one will be allowed to take law into their hand,” said Meena.

     The properties of a church were damaged and worshippers allegedly assaulted in a slum area of Kachna village, outskirt of the capital city of Chhattisgarh in Raipur yesterday.

     “The church was started in this place about a year back and the people, who had covered their faces, raised slogans against us and demanded closure of the church in this area,” said Rahul Kumar of the same locality.

      Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh has condemned the incident and assured of stern action against the culprits.

      “Police is investigating the criminal incident,” Singh told reporters here.

      “No one will be spared and stern legal action will be taken against all those people, who are involved in that incident,” said the Chief Minister.

      Meanwhile, the local residents, where the church is located, said the situation was fast returning to normalcy.

      “The situation is fast returning to normalcy,” said Rahul Kumar.

      “Although on Sunday the incident took place, but today there is total normalcy in my locality, where the church is located,” Rahul Kumar said.

     “About 40-50 people, who had covered their faces with cloth, attacked a Sunday prayer and damaged the chair and musical instruments among others,” an eyewitness Shiv Kumar has said.

     “When the Sunday prayer was going on, unidentified people entered the church and raised slogans creating a terror atmosphere,” said Shiv Kumar.

     “In that attack some of the women and children present in the church also got injured,” claimed Bhala Ram.

      Police immediately swung into action and registered a case against unknown persons “for home trespass after preparing for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint (Section 452 of Indian Penal Code), rioting (Sec 147 of IPC), damaging or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any other class (Sec 295 of IPC), and voluntarily causing hurt (Sec 323 of IPC),” said Meena.

      Three persons were arrested yesterday and today the figure of arrests have gone up to nine as six more arrests took place subsequently, the Raipur SP said.