Punjab pastor's car set on fire, church vandalised: report

Chandigarh: The police said four masked youths vandalised a church in Punjab's Tarn Taran district and set on fire the pastor's car last night.

CCTV Visuals from the church showed the car being consumed by engulfing flames, and broken statue of Jesus and Mary inside church.

Entering the church, the gang pointed a pistol at the watchman's head, and tied up his hands before vandalizing the church, according to a report in NDTV.

A person in a red band around the head and face was seen hitting and decapitating the idol with an axe and placing the head on the ground.

Cops reportedly got "vital clues" and a First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged.

RS Dhillon, Senior Superintendent of Police said there were four people behind the attack and police are hot on the heels of them.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who called the incident "unfortunate" assured that nobody will be allowed to disturb communal harmony in the state.

Protesting Christians on Wednesday blocked all routes leading to Khemkaran, Bhikhiwind, Patti, Harike, and Ferozepur, demanding arrest of the culprits.

The incident happened after the Akal Takht Jathedar, head of the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, alleged "forced conversions" by Christian missionaries.

Giani Harpreet Singh in a Facebook live video yesterday that so-called Christian missionaries have been forcibly converting Sikhs through fraudulent practices.

Harpreet Singh added that right under the nose of the government, Sikhs and Hindus of Punjab are being misled and converted.

Giani Harpreet Singh alleged foreign funding behind what he called "these religious campaigns" and appealed to the Centre to "control it immediately".

The attack is being seen as an aftermath of his statement, just as Sikh leaders are getting vocal against alleged conversion attempts by Christian missionaries in the state, according to NDTV.