The Piravom police on Saturday registered a case against unidentified persons for vandalising tombstones at the cemetery of the St. Thomas Church, Nechoor.
At least four tombs were vandalised with some stone plates missing from the cemetery. As per police accounts, the incident took place in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
“We were alerted about the issue around 10 a.m. Four stone plates were missing out of which one was found from the vicinity. It seems like some anti-social elements were at work,” said V.D. Regiraj, Sub Inspector, Piravom.
Notwithstanding police attributing the incident to anti-social elements, it is widely perceived as another episode in the ongoing row between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church. Both the factions claimed that tombstones belonging to their members were the ones vandalised.
The police have registered a case under IPC Section 427 (Mischief causing damage). The accused, however, were yet to be identified.