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Another Christian cemetery vandalised in AP

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Yet another Christian cemetery was vandalised recently in Hyderabad at Vanasthalipuram on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Though the incident happened a fortnight back, the Vanasthalipuram Christian Graveyard Committee registered a complaint only on Monday.

A case has been registered by the Vanasthalipuram police and the Rangareddy district Superintendent N V Surendra Babu has entrusted the investigations to a team headed by a deputy superintendent of police.

The compliant says that four graves were vandalised. While one grave was destroyed completely, the top cover of another was removed. The Holy Cross on two other graves was knocked off.

The damage was noticed when the VCGC secretary K Joseph visited the graveyard recently.

The Christian cemetery in Vanasthalipuram is located in a sprawling plot which also accommodates a Muslim graveyard and a Hindu crematorium.

Rangareddy district police spokesman Ravi Krishna said that no progress had been made in the case so far. "There is no breakthrough and no arrests have been made so far, though some suspects have been questioned," he said.

The Baptist Churches Association, the All India Christian Council and the Inter-Churches Council have condemned the incident and urged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to order a probe.

This is the second incident of desecration of graves in Andhra Pradesh. Vandals struck at a Christian cemetery in Rajahmundry town on the Andhra coast a few days back and desecrated 40 graves.

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