Bangalore: June 1, 2016. A Faith Lutheran Church an Pillanna Garden in the Kadugondanahalli area in India was attacked and vandalized by a group of around 20 to 30 men last May 26. Many religious idols and sacred statues were destroyed by the attackers. At around 10:30 p.m. on that Thursday night, the attackers sieged the church, chasing away the caretaker and ransacking the contents of the church. With the use of earthmovers and other different tools, the church was demolished. The attack was said to be due to a civil dispute about the 6,000 sq. feet plot of land that the church is standing on. According to police, the supposed owner of the land was questioning the existence of the church in the disputed territory, even though the church had been there for over 30 years already. Then, the church filed a police complaint that one of the workers of the landowner trespassed into the public prayer hall. The landowner then retaliated by filing a counter-complaint against the church saying it was actually them that were trespassing. Members of the church believed that the attack was not brought about by local residents living near the church as they have an excellent relationship with the neighborhood. Church management believes that it was an act done by the real-estate mafia trying to take control of the land. "Faith Lutheran church has been in this place for the last 30 years. The demolition is the handiwork of the land mafia, which is eyeing the BDA land that was allotted in 1988 to three religions for respective religious structures to come up. We have all the documents to support it and we will ensure that the Sunday prayers go on by setting up a temporary structure after clearing the debris," Nimalan C. a founding member of the church said, as quoted by Asian Age.