NEW DELHI (AFP) — Suspected Hindu radicals in India ransacked three churches near the city of Bangalore on Sunday despite a crackdown after anti-Christian attacks in the region, reports said.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the vandalised churches were on the outskirts of Bangalore, the capital of southern Karnataka state, which is ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP party.

Television channels showed police firing tear gas outside the damaged churches and charging attackers with canes and rifles. Officers said the vandals belonged to the rightwing Bajrang Dal Hindu group.

On Saturday police arrested Mahendra Kumar, head of the Dal's branch in Karnataka, and charged him with inciting sectarian attacks, which began a week ago.

Almost two dozen churches in Karnataka have been attacked, following similar clashes in the eastern state of Orissa which left nearly 20 dead.

The Orissa violence, triggered by the murder of a Hindu priest and four followers, forced thousands of people, mostly Christians, to flee their homes. Many are still living in state-run camps.

Hindu-Christian violence occurs periodically in India, where 2.3 percent of the country's population of more than 1.1 billion are Christians.

Hardline Hindus accuse missionaries of bribing poor tribals and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering free education and health care.

Two churches attacked in Bangalore:

Bangalore: Three churches have been attacked in Karnataka, including two in Bangalore, in continuing attacks on Christian places of worship that began last week, police said on Sunday.

"A group of people used iron rods to break into a church in Mariyannana Palya on Saturday night, desecrated the holy communion, broke the chest containing donations and damaged furniture," Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said.

Centre takes offence to church attacks

Mariyannana Palya is located in northeast Bangalore.

"The damage in the attack on the Mariyannana Palya church is around Rs18,000, including Rs.1,000 taken away from the donation chest," Bidari said.

"We are investigating whether it is the work of professional robbers or religious bigots," he added.

More attacks on Mangalore churches

Hundreds of Christians gathered in the area to denounce the attack and blocked roads by setting fire to cycle tyres.

The second attack took place in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in west Bangalore on Sunday morning.

Yeddyurappa warns of stern action

The statue of Virgin Mary outside a church in the area was damaged as some people pelted stones, the police in-charge of the area said.

A church in Madikeri, the headquarters of Kodagu (formerly Coorg) district, also came under attack late Saturday, the police said.

The attacks came just hours after Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa directed civil and police officials across the state to take additional precaution during Sunday prayers.

This is the first such attack on churches in Bangalore since such incidents rocked the state a week ago when a number of Christian places of worship were attacked in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts.

Yeddyurappa convened a meeting of city civil and police officials to discuss measures to check the continuing attacks on churches after the central government issued an advisory to the state, asking the government to check the violence against minorities in the states.