Belagavi church priest escapes sword attack by a whisker

The attacker's entry and exit have been caught by the CCTV

In a shocking incident, an unknown person attempted to attack a church priest with a sword in Belagavi district of Karnataka, police said, adding that they have launched an investigation to hunt down the miscreant.

Father Francis of Saint Joseph's 'The Worker Church' was attacked on Saturday evening and is said to be out of danger.

The police said the incident took place at the residence of Father Francis, where the miscreant had been hiding. The attacker tried to slash Father Francis with his sword as soon as he (Father) came out of the house to check on a dog that was barking continuously.

Father Francis informed the police that a man wielding a sword jumped from the compound wall and entered the first floor of the residence behind the church at about 3.15 pm. He was hiding in a room and attempted to assault the priest. However, the priest escaped by a whisker. Later, the culprit managed to flee by jumping over the wall. His entry and exit have been caught by the CCTV. The APMC police visited the spot.

Further investigation is under way.

Increase in church-related incidents

Over the past month, there has been an increase in church-related incidents in and around Belagavi. At the beginning of November, right-wing Hindu activists stormed into a prayer hall, alleging mass conversion.

The protesters claimed that as many as 200 people, including women and children from rural backgrounds, were put up in the building on the pretext of mass prayer for the purpose of religious conversion.

Later that month, Belagavi police asked Protestants to not hold mass or regular prayers in such halls.

(With inputs from DHNS and IANS)

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