Church vandalised in Punjab's Tarn Taran; CM assures of action against culprits

Punjab Police on Wednesday said that unidentified miscreants attempted to vandalise a church in Patti in Punjab's Tarn Taran district in the early hours today.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police, RS Dhillon, an FIR has been registered in this connection and an investigation has been taken up. The incident took place at Thakkarpura village in the district.

The SSP said police has obtained "vital clues" and hopes to solve the case soon.

"A few notorious elements attempted to vandalise the statue of Jesus and set ablaze a car at the church in Patti. We are investigating the matter and have vital clues. There were four people and we are behind the culprits. We hope to solve it soon. An FIR has been lodged," the SSP told ANI.

The father of the Catholic Church, Patti, Father Thomas P said that the accused threatened the people on the campus and "held captive the security guard at gunpoint".

"Four people came to our campus and destroyed the statues and set ablaze our vehicle. They were here for 25 minutes. They threatened people and held the security guard at gunpoint," he said while also adding that the Inspector General reached the spot and assured of action at the earliest.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has called the incident "unfortunate" and gave an assurance that nobody will be allowed to disturb communal harmony in the state.

The chief minister took to Twitter to post in Punjabi that police will investigate the incident and strict action will be taken against the culprits.

(ANI)

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