Nine arrested for vandalizing church in Vikarabad, CRII condemns attacks

Nine persons were arrested by the Kodangal police for vandalizing a church at Eerlapalli village in Daulatabad mandal of Vikarabad district on December 15, 2025, in an incident that has triggered condemnation from civil rights groups.

The accused, all aged between 20 and 25, were booked under 326 (mischief by fire or explosives to destroy houses/property) and Section 299 (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and remanded to judicial custody.

According to the police, the group broke open the church door around 9.30 am, set a few items on fire inside the premises and fled, causing damage to property. No one was present in the church at the time of the incident. Police said the accused had earlier objected to the construction of the church, raising disputes over the land.

The group broke open the church door, set a few items on fire inside the premises and fled, causing damage to property
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By Arrangement

Following the incident, security has been tightened at churches in the area for Christmas celebrations.

Reacting to the incident, the Civil Rights Initiative Internationale (CRII) strongly condemned what it described as a series of violent attacks on Christian prayer meetings and Christmas carol programmes in Telangana. National president, K Babu Rao, IPS (Retd.), said the Vikarabad incident reflected a growing pattern of intolerance, with similar attacks reported from Jinnaram and Mallapuram.

A CRII delegation comprising national joint secretaries Suresh Pulugujju and Abhishek, and executive committee member C N Rao, visited Jinnaram village following an alleged attack on Christian devotees during a prayer meeting held at a private residence.

The CRII also referred to an attack on Christmas carol singers reported a day earlier at Mallapuram village under the Meerpet police station limits, and expressed concern that these incidents occurred despite assurances by the State government that religious hatred would not be tolerated.