By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : The Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis, Sunday lashed out at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) for not condemning its students’ wing when it attacked a college run by the church last week.
“The SFI (Students Federation of India) should stop this because they are playing with fire. Today they have attacked the educational institution of the church, who knows tomorrow they will attack Christian homes. Responsible ministers in Kerala are yet to react on the inhuman attack on the institution,” the Catholicos said while speaking at a protest meet of the church after Sunday mass here.
Activists of the SFI, the student’s wing of CPI-M attacked the Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Sciences and Technology (MACFAST) at Thiruvalla Wednesday. They vandalised the college after a girl student, Sumi, committed suicide at her home after her laptop was reportedly stolen from her hostel room.
She was upset after college authorities failed to act on her complaint.
“A suicide is being celebrated like a festival by the SFI with the support of the CPI-M. Is the sympathy that these people show directed towards the girl’s family or are they using this as a ploy to attack the church? All of you should be careful about such things,” said the supreme head of the church.
The bishop hit out at the Left government, saying that if they were so passionate about suicides, “we wish to know what they are going to do in the wake of a suicide by a farmer on Friday at Kuttanad”.
The Church in general and the Catholic Church in particular in Kerala has strained relations with the CPI-M after party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at a Catholic bishop for allegedly spreading canards against late former CPI-M legislator Mathai Chacko.
Catholics account for 50 percent of Kerala’s Christians, who form 22 percent of the state’s population.