Police have removed the idol of a Hindu deity that a group of Hindus forcefully installed inside a Protestant church in India’s Haryana State. Some 100 state police personnel in two buses arrived at the Assembly of God Church in Faridabad town and removed the idol on June 27, a week after its installation. No one opposed the police move, said Pastor Uday Pillai, associate pastor of the church. “We are relieved and happy that police have cleared the encroachments from our church and returned it to us,” Pastor Pillai told UCA News on June 29.

The police came with a Hindu priest who offered prayers at the site before removing the idol. The police took away the idol of a Hindu monkey-headed god. “Now, our site is free and we will continue our work,” the pastor said.

He said the church had been under the custody of some Hindu fanatics since June 21 when they installed the idol and conducted daily prayers to it.