Perumbavoor: As the decades-old dispute between Jacobite and Orthodox factions of the Malankara Church rages on, tension gripped the Odakkali area near Perumbavoor in Kerala's Ernakulam district on Tuesday as the police tried to gain entry to the St Mary's Church amid stiff resistance from the Jacobite parishioners, including women and children.
The police team, which had arrived to execute a Supreme Court order that gave the Orthodox faction control over the disputed churches, used a gas-cutter to break open the lock of the gate before entering the church premises.
The police initially had to make a retreat as the bid to secure control of the church premises was being stalled by the Jacobites. Prior to breaking the lock, the cops had tried to jump over the wall. But after the protesters put up a strong resistance, the police had to back off.
Currently, the police are holding talks with the priests in a bid to settle the issue amicably. The police have assured the Jacobites that they would be allowed to enter the church once the Tehsildar arrives.
The standoff continues as the Jacobites have refused to let go off their claim to the church, while the police are also determined to implement the court order.
The believers belonging to the Orthodox Church had reached the area along with the police on Tuesday as the deadline to implement the court order ends on Wednesday.
Based on the Supreme Court ruling, the Orthodox faction had tried to enter the church last month too, but had failed due to the Jacobite protests. Hence, the former sought police protection on Tuesday.
In 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered to hand over 1,000 parishes and churches of the Jacobites to the Orthodox Church. The court had relied on the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Church while delivering the verdict.
After the apex court reprimanded the state government last year for not executing the order, the Kerala government has stopped dithering on the sensitive issue and decide to go the whole hog in complying with the fiat.
