Nearly 40 crosses and plaques at the Guardian Angel Catholic cemetery in Curchorem village in South Goa were desecrated early morning on Monday, police said.
This is the fourth such incident in the last one month involving desecration of Christian crosses and Hindu idols.
A senior police official said that a CCTV camera installed at the cemetery was damaged before the vandals went around desecrating crosses and plaques fixed atop graves. Deputy Inspector General of Police Rupinder Kumar told The Hindu on Monday that he was onsite to take stock of the situation."We are at the site right now, I am talking to people" Mr. Kumar said. He said no arrests have been made so far.
"Police personnel were posted outside the cemetery. When they heard sounds from inside, they went to check and found several Catholic crosses, granite stone plaques and grave stones damaged." he said.
Initially, officials at the Curchorem police station had estimated the number of damaged crosses, gravestones and plaques at nearly 100. "We are working on some leads", he said.
The Goa Police has already formed a special team to investigate such events, which Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said is being carried out by vested interests to disturb communal harmony in the State. Mr. Parrikar is presently away in U.S. on a week-long private visit.
Goa Pradesh Congress president Shantaram Naik has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the series of such incidents in the State.
"Goa Director-General of Police Muktesh Chander briefed me about the incident. I have demanded a CBI probe to look into the such continuing events," Mr. Naik told The Hindu on Monday afternoon.
He said that the Parrikar-led government in the State had failed to reign in such incidents."This looks like a sinister attempt by some elements to disturb communal harmony in Goa," Mr. Naik said, but declined to name the forces.
He blamed Mr. Parrikar for not giving charge to any of his Cabinet colleagues while he was leaving for US, despite knowing the present situation.
