K'taka: Violence spreads, church in Kolar attacked

Kolar: There has been another attack on a church in Karnataka. A mob attacked the place of worship near Kolar early this morning.

Police say the mob attacked and damaged a statue of St Mary situated near the old bus-stand in the heart of the town.

Security has been stepped up around the place following the incident. Police says the situation is tense but under control.

Earlier on Tuesday, educational institutions and shops remained closed and roads were deserted in Karnataka's coastal city of Mangalore as a Hindu group called for a shutdown to protest the stabbing of one of its activists.

There have been attacks on one or two Christian prayer halls in the rich coffee plantation district of Chikmagalur and the central Karnataka district of Davangere earlier this month, the attackers alleging that the churches were enticing Hindus to convert to Christianity.

The 25 lakh strong Christian community in Karnataka has become a soft target of radical Hindu groups in the last one month. Coming just days after violence in Orissa, there are many who are asking whether Karnataka will become another battleground between two religions.