Kengeri church vandalised, cops suspect burglary

A church in Kengeri Satellite Town, West Bengaluru, was burgled and vandalised on Tuesday, days after a proposed statue of Jesus Christ on the southern outskirts of Bengaluru had become the centre of a controversy.

The staff of the St Francis of Assisi Church discovered the desecration when they turned up in the morning to open the place of worship.

A review of the CCTV footage showed a man entering the church and breaking the windows, doors and furniture before walking away with the donation box, which was later found dumped close-by. “It looks like a clear case of burglary,” a senior police officer said, adding that further investigations were underway.

Several church members, however, said they believed it was a deliberate attack in the wake of the Jesus statue controversy.