Chikkaballapura: On the morning of Thursday December 23, a church in the Chikkaballapur District of southern Karnataka has been vandalised. This comes amid a row over anti-conversion law in the State.
According to sources, the 160-year-old St. Joseph’s church was attacked around 5.30 am and the statue of St. Anthony was broken. The statue has been taken away for investigation. An FIR has been filed in this regard.
While the State Government has pressed for the new rules to be passed, the Christian community has written to the Chief Minister opposing it.
Hundreds of people from at least 40 different socio-political organisations gathered in Bengaluru on Wednesday December 22 to protest against the Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, also known as the anti-conversion Bill.
Bengaluru Archbishop Peter Machado, who attended the protest said that “Any help or concession provided by any of our Christian institutions working in the fields of education, health, senior citizen care, and orphanages to any member, not from the Christian community can be construed as an inducement for conversion as per the Bill.”
He had previously said that they had submitted memorandum to Chief Minister thrice since September. He noted that the State’s Christian community is united in its opposition to the proposed law prohibiting forceful religious conversions.
