By SAR NEWS
Bangalore, Oct 14: The fire at St Anthony’s Church sacristy at Yadavenahalli here was not accidental, as was made out by the two policemen on duty, October 13, but ignited by miscreants, a church fact-finding team has found.
On hearing the news of the “accident”, Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore rushed a three-member team to the church to conduct an on-the-spot investigation.
The team, comprising PRO of the archdiocese Father Adolf Washington, Finance Officer Father C. Francis, and electrician R. Joseph from the Archbishop’s House, spent over six hours at the newly built church assessing the damage and the cause of the fire. They concluded that the blaze that destroyed valuables, including bibles and cassocks worth rupees one million, was a deliberate attempt by miscreants. They also rubbished the claim of the police that an electric short-circuit had triggered the fire.
Father Washington told SAR News: “There is ample evidence to show that this is not short-circuit, but the handiwork of miscreants.”
“We found the lights, fans and plug-points live with electricity. A short-circuit should have snapped the power supply. The main point of electricity entering the building is not touched by any fire nor are there indications of overloading or burnout. A lot of wiring has not been charred,” he said, pointing to the possible involvement of anti-Christian activists.
He said the priests’ religious dresses appeared to have been pulled out from the shelves and set on fire. “In a short-circuit, all inflammable things would have got burnt along the way, but prayer books, drums and a keyboard were found charred in different spots inside the church, including a set of hymnbooks that were piled up about 15 feet from the sacristy, away from any electrical point,” Father Washington said.
Candle stands, flower vases, books, a crucifix among other things were found strewn all across the sanctuary. Such objects cannot move around or be displaced in a fire accident, unless there had been a pressure explosion due to the fire, he reasoned.
“But there is no possibility of any explosion given the fact that the Church is very spacious and enjoys sufficient ventilation. At the statue of Anthony to the left of the altar lies a burned hymnbook, probably an attempt to use the burning book to set the statue of Anthony also on fire,” he added.
However, the police tell a different story. According to Inspector Purushottam, short-circuit caused the fire. “It may not be a case of attack as two policemen were guarding the church. Moreover, only a few things were gutted. If it was an attack, a few other things should have been ransacked.”
He said the burnt materials had been sent for forensic test. “The report will reveal the cause of the fire. But the police cannot rule of the possibility of attacks,” he added.
The two constables on duty at the church were the first ones to have noticed the fire and tried to put it out. But when they found the fire raging, they called the neighbours for help.
Meanwhile, the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) has condemned the burning of St. Anthony's Church.
GCIC president Sajan George told SAR News, “The burning of a place of worship is desecration of a holy place and we call upon the State Government to protect the minorities and their places of worship in the State.”