The Catholic Bishops’ of India (CBCI), the apex decision making body of the Christians in the country, have said that Kerala has become the nerve center of global terrorism. “This has been substantiated by various intelligence and security agencies of the Government,” said the CBCI statement issued late Wednesday evening.
The statement further stated that terrorism which was decimated in Kashmir has raised its head in Kerala with vigor has led to widespread apprehension and fear among the State’s population.
The CBCI said in the strongly worded statement that though the Government has the list of institutions, organizations and outfits which are the epicenters of terrorist activities and the list of locations from where they operate, the State authorities are suppressing the facts with an eye on votes. It has also warned that organizations staging demonstrations across the State to express their solidarity with terrorist outfits like Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis have sown seeds of hatred and discord.
The CBCI statement comes at a time when the Waqf Board of Kerala has issued an eviction order to more than 600 families settled in the picturesque Cherai-Munambam coastal village.
Functioning as an organization under the Government of Kerala, the Waqf Board claims that more than 400 acres of land is owned by the Board and the residents who have been residing there for more than seven decades should vacate at the earliest. Out of the 600 families, more than 400 families belong to the Christian community while the rest are from Hindu community. All of those who have been asked to vacate are poor fishermen and hold legal documents certifying that the land belong to them.
What welcome the visitor to Cherai village is an eerie of silence and it resembles a ghost village. There is a steep fall in the number of tourists visiting the village for experiencing the serene ambience of the sea shore and enjoy sun-bath. The few well to do families have locked their residences and left for Europe and USA following threats issued by some extremist outfits.
Philip Joseph, vicar of the age old Church of Velankanni blamed the Waqf Board and the bureaucracy as the main culprits in this impasse. “They came from nowhere and took the land. Politicians of major parties are playing hide and seek game with us,” said the vicar.
The Kerala Waqf Board has added more oil to the fire by claiming that 33,000 acres of prime land belong to it and this means that thousands of people would find themselves out of their houses and properties.
Benny Kallingal, an expatriate Indian who returned to his native village with dreams of setting up a business so that at least 100 unemployed youth could be provided with a source of life is planning to go back as his dreams lie shattered.
“The tragedy is that all these residents in the village hold valid and legal documents that confirm the ownership. We have been asked to leave the village with the claim that the Waqf order is binding on all,” said Kallingal.
Siji Jinson, secretary to the parish, laments that her father, grand father and their predecessors have been paying property tax till 2022. “In August 2022, the revenue officials stopped accepting the tax and told us that the land belongs to the Waqf and we are unauthorized settlers. What kind of justice is this?” asked Siji.
Joseph, Kallingal and Siji charged that the bureaucrats and major political parties are indifferent to our problems. “The mainstream media in Kerala too is ignoring this burning issue,” they said.
Kerala, once described as the role model for social harmony has become another Kashmir and the day is not far off when we become trespassers in our own State,” said Denny Jose, secretary, BJP, Minority Morcha.
Hundreds of members of the laity are sitting on relay fast in front of the Church demanding the scrapping of the controversial law in the Waqf Act.
