Jehovah’s Witnesses receive death threat; Kochi Police launch probe

Kochi: Kerala Police have registered an FIR and initiated a probe after the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian sect, reported receiving a threatening international call.

The caller, who allegedly phoned from a Malaysian number at 9.57 pm on May 12, reportedly warned the PRO that those testifying against the accused in the Kalamassery serial blast case would be killed. Police confirmed the details of the complaint filed at the Kalamassery police station.

The caller also threatened to target all religious gatherings and prayer halls where the PRO conducts services, as per the complaint. Authorities have booked the case under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “An investigation is underway,” the police said on Wednesday.

The threat comes as court proceedings are set to begin in the October 2023 serial blasts case in Kalamassery, where eight people died and several others sustained injuries during a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation.

In the immediate aftermath of the blasts, Dominic Martin—a man who allegedly had links with the group but later distanced himself—surrendered to the police in Thrissur and confessed to the crime. He was subsequently taken into custody.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian religious organisation, traces its roots to 19th-century America. Historians link the group to the International Bible Students’ Association, founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pittsburgh in 1872.

Unlike traditional Christian churches, the group does not follow the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Instead, it worships Jehovah as “the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things.” Its followers regard Jesus Christ as God's son, not as God himself. They emulate Christ’s teachings and actions and identify as Christians.
(With PTI Inputs)