KOCHI: Tension prevailed in and around Puthen Cruz for several hours on Sunday allegedly after members of the Syrian Jacobite church restrained Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church inside the St. Mary’s church at Varikkoli.
According to police, the drama began to unfold around 6.30 a.m. when the Catholicos entered the church here to lead a Mass. The situation, however, took a violent turn when some people, allegedly members of the orthodox faction, climbed up the church tower and attempted to deface the emblem of the patriarch by pouring paint over it.
With the news spreading like wildfire, members of the rival faction rushed to the spot and staged a demonstration against the Catholicos. They also locked up the main gate of the church from outside, preventing the Catholicos from leaving the church.
“This emblem has been a property of dispute ever since the orthodox faction took control of the church based on a Supreme Court order a few weeks ago. There had been attempt earlier to destroy the same and the police had to intervene on a couple of occasions,” officials said.
The issue snowballed into a bigger crisis when the Cathoicos refused to leave the church without arresting all the protesters. “The escort and pilot party were ready by around 12.30 to take the Catholicos safely out of the church. He, however, insisted on arresting the protesters and decided not to leave,” officials added.
The stand-off ended by the evening with the district administration intervening in the issue and the church had been locked up by the Tehsildar on a direction by the RDO.
Meanwhile, the police are yet to register cases in this connection.