Belagavi (Karnataka), May 12 (PTI) Three religious books were found burnt in a nearby field here on Monday and a probe has been initiated, police said.
Following the incident, the members of the community staged a protest demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.
According to the police, some miscreants on Sunday night allegedly gained entry inside the religious building which is under construction. They allegedly took away three of the religious books kept on the ground floor of the building where the prayers are offered, a senior police officer said.
When people came to offer prayers on Monday morning, these religious books were found missing and on searching, they found them in a burnt condition in a nearby field which was around 200 meters away, he added.
Following the incident, a peace meeting was held with leaders from all communities. They have demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang told PTI that a case has been registered at Rural police station limits and teams have been formed to identify and nab the culprits involved in the incident.
"Since construction work was ongoing, the CCTV camera installed on the building premises were removed coincidentally on the day of incident for some repair work. An investigation into the incident is underway and we will nab the culprits," he added.