Church plans march against government

Kerala government accused of protecting ‘anti-socials’ who destroyed shrine

Two days after police used force to prevent members of the Latin Catholic Church’s Neyyattinkara diocese from undertaking a procession to a restricted hilltop, in Bonacaud, on the outskirts of the Kerala capital, the church has hardened its position against the Left Democratic Front government.

Many devotees, some from the clergy and a few policemen were also injured when police started a baton charge after a round of stone pelting from the devotees’ side.

Tomorrow, the church plans to take another strong step to express its sentiments by holding a protest fast in front of the state secretariat in the capital city.

Hundreds of believers and clergy members are expected to participate.

The church leaders have stated that they will fight until they get the right to worship on the hilltop, claiming that an annual procession had been taking place to the Bonacaud hilltop on the first Friday of each year for six decades.

Police had prevented the march by the devotees to the hilltop on Friday, on the ground that it was forest land, and no construction activity was allowed there.

There had been a concrete crucifix on the hilltop for some years, which was found destroyed. Later, a wooden cross had been put up, but it also was destroyed.

Silent approval

Expressing its strong sentiment against the government, an encyclical was read out during Sunday Mass in the Neyyattinkara diocesan churches, in which the government was accused of protecting “anti-socials” who destroyed the cross.

The church believes that the police officers who assaulted the devotees had the silent approval to do so from the government, and that the police and forest department officials were protecting those who destroyed the cross.

The church alleges that the government was not providing the freedom for worship, and has demanded that the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan intervene in the matter.