Over 90 crosses desecrated in Goa

Police rounded up a woman allegedly of unsound mind.

(File photo: The vandalised crosses at the cemetery of Our Lady of Piety Church, Divar. heraldingoa.blogspot.in)

Margao:  Some 90 crosses were found pulled out and thrown outside a cemetery in Margao, Goa.

The incident came to light on Tuesday morning when a parishioner of St Rock Church, Tolleacanto, came to clean a grave in view of the Mass scheduled for today.

Parish Priest Fr. Luis Coutinho said around 8.30 in the morning the woman informed of the missing cross from the grave. The parish members soon found that "92 crosses from the graves were uprooted and thrown outside the cemetery,” he added.

The police rounded up a woman allegedly of unsound mind. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik the woman said she had cleaned up the crosses from the cemetery and thrown them outside because they were old.

According to police the woman, Levi Afonso, said that she "cleared all the old crosses on the graves and thrown them outside.”

The police has registered a case against unknown persons for hurting the religious sentiments of the people by desecrating the crosses.

“Some of the crosses were later installed by the parishioners while some of the damaged crosses could not be identified,” Fr Coutinho said.

Source: oheraldo.in