Seven people were arrested late on Sunday for vandalising a church in Raipur’s Khamardih area, the police said. The men were tracked through three motorbikes that were recovered from the spot. The Union home ministry has asked for a report on the incident, NDTV reported. “The administration has taken action, and the culprits will not be spared," Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, said.

At least five people were injured after a group of around 40 men chanting “Jai Shri Ram” barged into the church during a prayer service on Sunday afternoon and started beating people up with sticks. The men reportedly belong to the Bajrang Dal and were wearing saffron bandanas. Women and children were also roughed up in the assault, during which around 65 churchgoers were present.

The president of Chhattisgarh's Christian Forum, Arjun Pannalal, who filed a complaint with the police, said the men vandalised everything and tore up women’s clothes, but fled once the police reached the spot. He added that this was the fourth such attack on a church in the past five weeks.