Meghalaya: Miscreants vandalize Catholic Church in North Garo Hills

Unknown miscreants broke into one of the oldest Catholic churches in North Garo Hills and vandalized the holy statues inside the church but did not loot any money or valuables. 

Based on the FIR, the Catholic Church in Daram North Garo Hills has been damaged after unidentified miscreants broke into it on Thursday night and destroyed the holy statues of the Lord Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, and Saint Joseph.

It was informed that the incident happened during the time when all the priests were in Tura for a church retreat program. 

The miscreants on entering the church targeted the statues and completely severed the statues of the Lord Jesus, Mother Mary, and Saint Joseph. But, the church offerings or valuables were untouched. 

The heads of the statues of Christ, Mother Mary, baby Jesus, and Saint Joseph were completely severed by the vandals.

The attackers also tried to damage the holy crucifix placed on the upper portion of the church wall above the altar where the holy Eucharistic is celebrated, but could not succeed and instead destroyed the legs of the venerated idol.

Notably, one mentally challenged 25-year-old man who suffers from epilepsy and had previously damaged other venerated church idols inside homes in Daram village is a suspect, but police are looking at all angles of the investigation.

The church in Daram is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the North Garo Hills.

The first converts date back almost a century when the first Italian missionaries led by the late Father Rocca arrived from Damra mission to spread the teachings of the Catholic Church in Daram, which was part of the Assam state.