Kolkata, India - A mob ransacked a church in West Bengal and burned a copy of the Bible after priests objected against the activities of a local criminal gang, police said on Monday.
The attackers destroyed furniture, stole silver chalices and desecrated the communion bread late on Saturday before setting fire to pages of the Bible at the Jalalkhali Catholic church, about 75 km north of Kolkata.
"This is a case of local rowdies disturbing the church authorities because the priests were leading a campaign against crime," police officer Biswarup Ghosh said.
No one was injured in the attack, he said, adding that one person had been arrested in connection with the case.
Father Antony Kariyattil, the church's head priest, said the church had protested against local gangs who teased girls, disturbed worshippers and indulged in petty crime.
Hindu extremists have in the past been charged of attacking and killing missionaries across India, insisting that they are forcing the poor and tribal people to embrace Christianity.
But Christian activists say they are only offering charity and accuse Hindu zealots of harassing their community.
The Christian community accounts for just over 2 percent of India's total population of more than one billion.