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A mob of over 200 unidentified persons, allegedly affiliated with local right-wing groups, vandalised a church in Roorkee on Sunday, 3 October. Reports of physical harm also emerged from the incident, with several Christian devotees being injured amid the attack, The Wire reported.
The church pastor's wife, Prio Sadhana Lanse, registered an FIR stating that members of local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing barged into the prayer hall, brutalising the people present.
The vandalism took place in Roorkee's Solanipuram Colony around 10am, The New Indian Express reported.
Armed with iron roads, the agitated group of people reportedly chanted ‘Vande mataram’ and ‘Bharat mata ki jai' while their rampage.
As per reports, an FIR has been filed under Sections 295, 296, 395, 323, 504, 506 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These sections deal with defiling a place of worship, disturbing a religious assembly, dacoity, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation among others.
Circle officer of Roorkee Vivek Kumar stated, "The matter is being investigated and soon those involved will be apprehended," The New Indian Express reported.
What the Church Pastor's Wife Said
Speaking to The Wire, Lanse said, "They started beating our volunteers and the women attackers bashed up our womenfolk.”
She also alleged that the attackers assaulted women in the prayer hall, inappropriately touching some of them, including her daughter Pearl.
Another witness, Akshi Chauhan reiterated this claim. “I saw that an aged man had forcibly hugged Pearl and she was struggling to free herself. When I went to rescue her (Pearl), an attacker asked me what I, being a Hindu, was doing in the church,” she stated, speaking to The Wire.
(With inputs from The Wire and The New Indian Express)
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