Kerala cops take control of church as rivals spar

KOCHI: Amid dramatic scenes, police made a forced entry into a church here, caught in a row between two factions, and removed protesting rival Jacobite priests and followers following a Kerala High Court directive on Thursday.

The Orthodox and Jacobite factions have been caught in a tussle over the possession of the church, known as Piravom Valiyapalli, and matters only worsened after the Supreme Court ordered that the control of the place of worship be given to the Orthodox group.

Protesting priests and followers of the Jacobite faction had locked themselves within the church premises, not giving any leeway to the other group.

Amid high drama, the Ernakulam district collector S Suhas on Thursday took control of the Church at Piravom, known as Piravom Valiyapalli, using police force. As the police personnel were removing the priests and their followers, the collector reached the spot and sought to pacify the agitating people and held conciliatory talks with the Bishops.

Following the talks, a senior Bishop of the Church appealed to the Jacobite followers to let law take its own course.

When the Bishops yielded to the arrest, others also followed it without much resistence.

The High Court had directed the district administration to ensure that protesting priests and followers of Jacobite Church were removed from its premises to implement the apex court order giving its possession to the Orthodox faction.

Police broke open one of the main gates and made a forced entry into the church and removed the resisting Jacobite priests and their followers.

“The keys of the church will be given to the High Court on Friday,” the collector told reporters soon after the police took control of the church. HYDERABAD: Three bottles of Indian-made or foreign liquor or six bottles of beer – that is all an individual in Andhra Pradesh can purchase or possess at a single time under a rule enforced by the state government with effect from Wednesday.

In line with the new excise policy that will come into force on October 1, the YSR Congress Party government headed by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has already started restricting the sale of liquor in retail outlets.

In his order dated September 24, special chief secretary (excise) D Sambasiva Rao said a person can possess, at a time without permit, a maximum quantity of three bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) or an equal number of bottles of foreign liquor (of any size), three bulk litres of denatured/methylated spirit or six bottles of beer (each of 650 ml) or two bulk litres of toddy.