ALAPPUZHA: The funeral of a 94-year-old man, which has been delayed following a stand-off between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions over the ownership of St Mary’s Church at Kattachira, near Kayamkulam, will be held on Tuesday.
After a marathon meeting held at Kattanam on Monday, the district administration has said that the funeral will be held on Tuesday. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also directed the Chief Secretary to conduct the funeral rites, said the officials of the district administration. Varghese Mathew Pallikkalethu died on November 3 and his body has been kept in a mobile mortuary at his house since then.
Officials said that the funeral was delayed after the Orthodox faction of the Church refused to allow to conduct the funeral at the church.
The Orthodox faction had put forward a condition that the grandson of the deceased, a priest belonging to the Jacobite faction, should not attend the funeral service wearing the priest’s cassock. This stipulation, however, was not acceptable to the relatives of the deceased.
Acting on a complaint filed by Fr George John, the grandson of the deceased, the NHRC said that the State should take care of the human rights of the family members of the deceased and that the family should immediately be allowed to do all the religious rituals and formalities to conduct burial of the body at the church burial ground.
It also directed the State Police Chief to provide proper protection to the family members so that no untoward incident takes place during the funeral.