Last week, Fr. Attuchalil Joseph, the assistant vicar of the St Mary’s Forane Church in Poonjar, Kerala, was knocked down allegedly by a group of Muslim youths who were racing cars and motorcycles inside the church grounds. Christian worshippers had assembled for Easter prayers. Easter is preceded by Lent Penance, which lasts 40 days and is often marked with fasting and prayers.
Around 12.30 noon, Joseph came out after the worship was interrupted due to loud noises from altered silencers fitted on the vehicles. He asked the unruly mob who had entered the church compound with cars and motorbikes to leave the premises. The troublemakers disagreed, hurled abuses and tried to manhandle Joseph.
The priest moved to close the gates when the accused allegedly hit him with their vehicles, not once but twice. The assailants injured Joseph, and he was admitted to Pala Medicity Hospital with injuries.
A large crowd, including parishioners, reached the church after the church started ringing the church bell incessantly. Pala DySP P K Sadan and Eratupetta SHO A P Subramanian arrived at the church and began an investigation.
Police said the church’s surveillance cameras were switched off at the time of the incident. At the same time, the locals handed over the images of the gang’s vehicles to the police. The Diocese of Pala and St. Mary’s Parish, Poonjar, strongly protested the incident of disrupting the Lenten service during fasting and attempting to harm the priest.
According to sources, more than 30 miscreants entered the church courtyard. Twenty-seven people were arrested, of which 10 were minors. Kerala Police has not released the names of all the 27 accused. Allegedly, as per the instructions of the ruling communist regime and the green communists who prop up this government, the first information report did not include the names of the accused.
Ten minors were produced before Etumanoor Juvenile Court and transferred to a Juvenile Home. Seventeen were produced before Changanassery Magistrate and remanded. A case has been registered against the accused for driving without a license and attempted murder. No case has yet been filed against the attempt to create religious rivalry. Isn’t that the real issue here?
Who is afraid and trying to cover up and hide the names of the accused? Who are they trying to appease?
All social media accounts are under Kerala police surveillance. Cyber Police has announced that intense legal action will be taken against those who spread hateful posts and comments through social media. A case has been filed against the protestors on a non-bailable charge on the complaint of assaulting a Special Branch officer attached to the Erattupetta station. HinduPost has been unable to verify independently but calls upon authorities to investigate thoroughly.
Allegedly, all the accused are natives of Erattupetta (5km from Poonjar). Poonjar is a small town located on the eastern side of Kottayam district in Kerala but is part of Pathanamthitta (Lok Sabha constituency).
Erattupetta was included in the report released by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding the villages and towns with terrorist presence in Kerala. According to the report, the most problematic booths in the Kottayam district are in Erattupetta. In response to indications that terror sleeper cells have increased their activity in Kerala, the central agencies expanded their monitoring in Erattupetta.
As part of stepped-up measures against the Popular Front of India (PFI) terrorist leaders, the NIA raided the councillor of Erattupetta Municipality and took them into custody. HinduPost has reported how CPM and Congress openly support the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). It is the political wing of radical Islamist PFI.
Last year, the Kottayam District Police Chief SP K Karthik’s report recommending constructing an anti-terrorism squad office in Erattupetta due to significant terrorist activity in the region sparked controversy. SDPI leaders, Kerala Congress (M) MLA Sebastian Kulathunkal and CPM local leaders demanded action against SP K Karthik. Kerala Congress (M) deserted the Congress and is now a CPM ally.
Some reports claimed that the government may soon take action against SP Karthik, but he remains the district police chief of Kottayam. The NIA is said to have a permanent presence in Erattupetta.
Janmabhumi reported that there is no point in crying and protesting. No one is going to notice that. Only if a strong vote bank like the Islamic one is present will the ruling front notice your protests. The ruling regime thinks that terrorist support is necessary for the governance of Kerala. This incident should shed light on the present circumstances.
The biggest question that arises here is how the general public succumbs to such jihadist influences. This is a warning not only to the Christian community in Kerala but also to the Hindus and to the good believers of Islam who do not succumb to Jihadi terrorists.
The Christian community realized the horrors of grooming jihad when it came to its community. Everyone should realize that in areas where jihadis have influence today, the rights of other religions to live and worship are being lost.
We have seen the change in East Bengal (part of Bharat) when it became Pakistan. Destroyed places of worship, arrested on charges of blasphemy for reading the Bible, Jihadists shouting “Kill her” are in front of us.
When jihadis attack our society with terrorism, they can only be resisted and defeated through organized force. For that, good non-Jihadist Muslims, Christians and the Hindu community in Kerala need to unite. This is not a call to attack anyone but to create an atmosphere of integration and interfaith harmony by countering and defeating the jihadi mentality.
The leftist government has completely surrendered to the jihadists. They are targeting the jihadi vote bank. These attacks on non-Muslim places of worship are also signs of a disturbing trend. Therefore, to oppose such forces, a solid united opposition is the need of the hour.
Incidentally, trouble began ever since P C George’s name (a six-time MLA from Poonjar Constituency) came up as a potential candidate for Pathanamthitta’s upcoming Lok Sabha polls. George was defeated in the last assembly elections, and he stated that radical Islam overpowered him.
In April 2019, Kerala Janapaksham, led by PC George, joined the NDA. In January, George and his son Shaun George (a member of the Kottayam District Panchayat) joined the BJP, and his party merged with the NDA. George’s family live in Poonjar.
