Catholic Bishops accuse Kerala govt of inaction on outfits into alleged extremist activities

PTI, May 23, 2022, 7:50 PM IST

Catholic Bishops on Monday alleged that the Kerala government was reluctant to take action against outfits involved in extremist activities in the southern State and that such attitude to allegedly please communal outfits was, the priest said, extremely detrimental to national security.

In a statement, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) referred to an incident in which a minor boy raised allegedly provocative slogans at a rally organised by an Islamist outfit in Alappuzha recently and that the content of the slogans allegedly was that they would not hesitate to kill those who oppose them.

Without naming the organisation, the KCBC said Kerala was shocked to hear such slogans during the rally organised by the outfit which has often been accused of extremist activities.

”It is a mystery that the government is not ready to intervene in such a situation,” said the statement signed by KCBC spokesman Fr Jacob Palackappilly.

Supporting senior Kerala politician P C George, who is facing police investigation into his alleged hate speech, the KCBC said the government was reluctant to take appropriate action, even on the most serious of issues involving extremist organisation, but was working hard to imprison the man accused of speaking out against such acts of extremism.

”Such attitudes that please communal outfits are extremely detrimental to national security and the future of the State. The government must be prepared to treat everyone equally before the law, and to investigate and take action on the more serious crimes with undue importance”, KCBC said. The statement was issued after a short video of a boy sitting on the shoulder of a person during ”Save the Republic” rally held by Popular Front of India on May 21 in Alappuzha and purportedly raising provocative slogans that went viral on social media.