District Superintendent of Police Javed Akhtar said the district magistrate along with the police visited the spot and removed the idol and posters after an FIR was filed by the priest of the church, Harish Joshi.

Of the three persons named in Joshi's FIR, Rajeev Bhandari and Bhawan Chandra have been arrested, while one Gopal Singh Rana is yet to be traced.

The police say those responsible for the attack call themselves the ``Hindu Jagran Manch'' and have been long alleging that missionaries working in the Tharu tribal areas were trying to convert them to Christianity.

Joshi, however, denied such allegations.

The police say the church was built in 1993 and was used by security forces from Nagaland who had been stationed there to help in anti-terrorist operations.