Revenue Minister K. Rajan on Saturday said the Catholic priests from Kerala, who were allegedly attacked by right-wing activists in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, have expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the support extended by the State government and its people.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the residence of one of the priests, Mr. Rajan said that amid the ongoing Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Party Congress, the Chief Minister personally intervened and the State authorities immediately contacted senior officials in Madhya Pradesh on the day of the incident.
The Revenue Minister also said he had a direct video call with Fr. Davis George, one of the victims of the attack.
“We assured him of all possible support and told him we were ready to visit if needed. However, he thanked us and simply asked for our prayers,” Mr. Rajan said. He added that what was happening in India was completely unacceptable.
‘Demolished church’
Mr. Rajan said the right-wing activists had earlier demolished a church built for the believers in Madhya Pradesh. “Fr. Georgeis not involved in religious conversion, but he provides education and other facilities for a poor section of the people in the Mandla region there,” he added.
Mr. Rajan alleged that widespread attacks among minorities occurred in various other States, stating that the Kerala government and its people have a ‘secular’ mind.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V. Muraleedharan alleged that the Congress was behind the attack. “It is understood that the Congress should address this incident, as they formed Bajrang Sena to counter the BJP in Madhya Pradesh,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. “The Congress is responsible for unleashing the attack, and this is my response to that issue (Jabalpur),” he added.
Intervene strongly
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday condemned the attack on Catholic priests and urged the authorities to intervene strongly and take appropriate legal action against the culprits.
In a statement issued by his office, Mr. Vijayan said a group of tribals, including women and children, who were on a pilgrimage, were taken to a police station on charges of “forced religious conversion.”
When some priests intervened to help them, they were beaten up by a group of people in the presence of the police, he said, terming the entire incident “extremely despicable,” the statement added.
Fr. George, Vicar general of Jabalpur Catholic Diocese,and Jabalpur diocesan corporation secretary Fr. George Thomas, who hail from Kerala, were allegedly attacked on the premises of the Ranjhi police station on March 31.
Four days after the incident, the Madhya Pradesh police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Friday, though nobody has been arrested so far.
Published – April 05, 2025 08:30 pm IST
