The "vandalisation" of Delhi churches took place during the tenure of the United Progressive government as well. According to a Delhi police report, three such incidents of "attack" were reported in Delhi in 2014. Three similar incidents of "thefts" and "burglaries" took place in 2012 and three more in 2013, when the UPA II was in power. The report mentions that this year so far one incident of theft has been reported at a church.

The police describes these incidents as "stray", which are being sensationalised by missionaries and political groups as acts of intolerance against the Christian community.

As per the report, in contrast to the three incidents in 2012 and 2013, there were 36 and 69 such incidents respectively in temples, 8 and 11 respectively in gurudwaras. One case of theft was reported at a mosque in 2012, while two cases were reported in 2013. Interestingly, temples turned out to be the most vulnerable. In 2014, as many as 206 cases of thefts and burglaries were reported in Delhi temples.

The report brought out by Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi shows that most cases reported as "attacks" on Christian missionary establishments and churches were "thefts" and "burglaries" and in fact it is temples that are more vulnerable to attacks as shown by statistics.

Though the National Crime Records Bureau does not maintain separate data on criminal incidents related to religious places, the Delhi police came out with these figures after being asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just before the Delhi Assembly elections last month, Christian bodies held a protest march in the capital against these "attacks", the latest being an incident at a church in Vasant Kunj area. The police said it was a case of robbery and that it was not an "attack" or "vandalism" as such.

The protest march drew wide attention the world over, which showed India in a poor light. Following this, the Prime Minister asked Bassi to prepare a report on such incidents in the capital.

Interestingly, Christian missionaries also publicised as many as 33 incidents in which churches or priests were allegedly "attacked" during the tenure of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government. They alleged that the "attacks" were the handiwork of the majority community. However, in most of the cases, their charges could not be established.

For example, in Kosikalan (Uttar Pradesh), in 2000, an attack on a missionary school was reported. However, following an investigation, it came to light that it was an incident of theft. Even the Minority Commission submitted its report saying it was a case of theft and was not of any communal nature. Similarly, there was an incident in Mathura the same year, in which the Sacred Heart School was allegedly attacked. However, an investigation proved that it was not a communal incident but that it was actually a protest by parents who were agitated by a fee-hike.

A delegation of Vishwa Hindu Parishad recently met National Commission for Minorities chairman Naseem Ahmad and urged him to investigate the recent allegations levelled by Christian missionaries, impartially, so that "the falsehood propagated by the missionaries could be exposed". "It is in the interest of everyone that communal harmony is maintained in the country. No community of the country, whether majority or minority, can live happily in a state where communal tensions prevail," said a memorandum jointly written by Surendra Kumar Jain, joint general secretary, and others.

Jain said his organisation has submitted many such memoranda at least eight times to the Commission, the Prime Minister and the President. However, no action was ever taken in this regard, he added.