More Than 100 Crosses, Plaques Vandalised At Goa Cemetery

Panaji, July 10 (IANS): More than 100 crosses and plaques at a cemetery in South Goa were desecrated in the wee hours of Monday, police said.

Police sources said that a CCTV camera installed at the Guardian Angel Catholic cemetery in Curchorem village, 45 km from here, was damaged before the vandals went around to indiscriminately desecrat crosses and plaques fixed atop graves.

Speaking to IANS, Deputy Inspector General of Police Rupinder Kumar said: "We are at the site right now," as he took stock of the situation.

This is the fourth such incident in the last one month involving desecration of religious artefacts by vandals.

The Goa Police has already formed a special team to crack the series of desecrations by the vandals, which Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said was being carried out by people with vested interests to disturb communal harmony in the state.