Team Herald
MARGAO: An unsuccessful attempt was made by some miscreants to disturb the Easter vigil service at Carmelite Monastery Margao.
The miscreants threw heavy stones on the premises injuring a woman and damaging two parked vehicles. Incidentally, this is the third year in a row when midnight services at the monastery were sought to be disturbed.
When people were walking into the chapel after the Blessing of the Fire outside the premises, three stones were reportedly thrown apparently from a high rise building near the monastery. One stone fell on a bonnet of a car and from there landed on the foot of a woman causing her minor injuries while the windshield of another car was damaged by another stone.
Superior of the Carmelite Monastery Fr Archibald Gonsalves pointed out that this is the third year in succession when the midnight services held at the Monastery for Christmas and Easter have been stoned. “Last year the 24 hour long service we had for veneration of the Blessed Sacrament was also sought to be disturbed by similar stone throwing,” he said.
While disclosing that every time the premises were stoned they had complained to the police, Fr Archibald said the three police personnel deputed by Margao Town were unfortunately too busy managing the traffic and could not spot the person who threw the stones.
He expressed surprise over the incident given the fact that they have very good relationship with people of other communities and that Muslim and Hindus use the Carmelite hall free of cost for their various functions including religious celebrations.
“We have very good relationship with other communities as all our services whether the hall, the medical care, the orphanage and even the food bank is freely available for people irrespective of their creed or caste,” Fr Archibald said.
Following a complaint, the police inspected the site and even visited some of the nearby building but could not trace the perpetrator of the crime.
Police Inspector Kapil Nayak said that prima facie it did not appear that the stones were thrown from any of the buildings nearby. However, police have registered a non-cognizable offence following a complaint from a person whose vehicle was damaged in the stone throwing.
