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Church in Maharashtra town ransacked

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

The Catholic vicar general of Amravati diocese said a Catholic church built for migrants at Pusad town in Yavatmal district of western Maharashtra was found ransacked by fundamentalists on June 25.

"When Father Chacko Maliekal went to celebrate Holy Mass on June 25, to his shock he found the church attacked and parts of it destroyed," Father V C Cyriac, vicar general of the Amravati diocese told rediff.com over the telephone yesterday. Bishop Edwin Colaco is away in America on an official visit.

Fr Cyriac said the criminals, perhaps close to fundamentalists who have targeted churches and Christians in various parts of the country in a hate campaign, may be responsible for the attack.

"The miscreants entered St Mary's Church through the terrace door and damaged the sacristy and the residence of the parish priest," Fr Cyriac said.

Many stones were found in the church, he added. "Luckily, they have not touched the tabernacle," Fr Cyriac said.

He said Fr Maliekal had lodged a criminal complaint with the Yavatmal district collector and the police department.

Fr Cyriac said the church was built last year for migrant families from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra. He said there were just 35 Catholics in the area.

He said Fr Maliekal, parish priest of St Joseph's Church in Yavatmal district, was also entrusted responsibility of the church in Pusad. "He used to visit the church only on Sundays, to hear confessions, celebrate mass and look after spiritual needs of migrants," he said, adding that on request from the migrants, the church was inaugurated by Bishop Edwin Colaco last year.

He said the criminals may have taken advantage of the summer vacations.

On April 3, 1999, miscreants had barged into St Alvasius High School, run by nuns and destroyed the cross atop the English medium co-ed school in Yavatmal, he said. Nobody has been booked by the police for that offence, Fr Cyriac rued.

"The incidents have created apprehension among Christians in the diocese and they see it as part of the hate campaign, Father K Jose, parish priest of St Francis Xavier Cathedral Church in Amravati, said.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik, now a Nationalist Congress Party legislator, hails from Pusad.

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