Headlines
Three detained over Agra church vandalism
Agra, April 23
Three people have been detained for questioning over the vandalisation of a church here, police said on Thursday.
The
St. Mary's Church in the Agra Cantonment area was vandalised by
unidentified miscreants, some statues were damaged and the main gate
disfigured on the night of April 15-16.
Senior Superintendent of
Police Rajesh Modak said three people -- identified as Nasir, Zafar and
Zaffruddin, all aged between 30-35 years -- were taken into custody as
they were found to be near the church when the incident took place.
He said they could not explain their presence in the area at that particular time.
However,
their family members said they had gone to see a shopping exhibition at
the nearby Ramlila ground and were returning home.
Police said if no substantial evidence was found against them, they would be released after an investigation.
The
family members and activists of the Peace Party protested at the Agra
Collectorate and demanded their immediate release saying they were
innocent.
Peace Party state general secretary Jahangir Alvi
alleged that police had detained the wrong people as they were poor and
could not defend themselves.