4 masked men vandalise Pieta statue on church premises in Punjab's Tarn Taran

Tarn Taran, August 31 

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Four masked men allegedly vandalised a Pieta statue on the church premises at Thakarpura village in Patti area of this district on Tuesday night and set a car parked there on fire.

Following the incident, Christians staged a dharna on the Khemkaran road on Wednesday demanding arrest of the miscreants.

Fr Thomas Poochalil, parish priest, Infant Jesus Catholic Church, Thakarpura village, associated with Jalandhar diocese, in a press release, said unidentified men after taking the security guard hostage on gun-point, vandalised the Pieta statue located in front of the church and set on fire a car parked there. The car belonged to a church administrator. They were raising the slogan ‘We are Khalistanis’, Fr Poochalil said in the press release.

SSP Ranjit Singh Dhillon visited the spot and took stock of the situation. A case has been registered.