'We want the government to ensure freedom to practise one's religion and live securely and peacefully. We have no idea why our church has been attacked without any provocation. Police should protect our places of worship,' Aronnis said.

The church has no night watchmen or security guards. The incident came to light when a boy who lives on the premises told police that the miscreants had locked the adjacent room in which he was sleeping and escaped after damaging the premises.

The incident created a pandemonium in the state legislative assembly later in the day, with the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) members disrupting the proceedings and calling for an immediate discussion on the issue.

'Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was formed in May 2008, there have been a series of attacks on churches, mosques and other religious places in the state. Social and religious harmony is disturbed in the state,' opposition leader Siddaramaiah told reporters later.

Karnataka Congress president R.V. Deshpande criticised the state government for failing to protect the minority community and its places of worship. He also sought an inquiry by the state Corps of Detectives (CoD) into the incident.

State Home Minister V.S. Acharya, however, sought to play down the church attack, terming it as 'a minor incident'.

The state had witnessed similar attacks on churches in Bangalore and coastal areas last year.