ALAPPUZHA: An 84-year-old woman’s funeral, which had been delayed for six days because of the dispute between the Jacobite and Orthodox factions, was held outside the cemetery of the Kadeesa Church at Kayamkulam on Thursday.
The body of Mariyamma Philip of Thoppil house, Pallickal, was buried in a plot of land owned by the Jacobite faction near the church, said Kayamkulam Circle Inspector K Vinod.
“A special police picketing was arranged in the burial place to avoid any untoward incident,” the CI said.
The funeral was held outside the cemetery after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the state Chief Secretary to make arrangements for the burial on Wednesday. The body of Mariyamma who died on July 4 had been kept in a mortuary due to the dispute.
Apparently, the dispute arose when the Orthodox faction rejected the Jacobite faction’s demand to conduct the rituals under the leadership of a Jacobite priest. After the NHRC intervention, the Chief Secretary directed District Collector Adeela Abdulla to take steps to settle the dispute. She directed both the factions to resolve the issue and conduct the burial at the earliest.
A row over the ownership of the cemetery has been prevailing for many years now. Whenever a person from the Jacobite faction dies, the burial takes place based on local court orders. However, this time, the local court refused to issue an order after the Supreme Court judgment in the dispute between the two factions came in favour of the Orthodox faction.
In November last year, the burial of a 94-year-old man’s body had also been delayed for over two weeks owing to a standoff between the two factions in St Mary’s Church at Kattachira near Kayamkulam. The burial was then conducted following an ultimatum by the district collector.
Same row, different year
In November last year, the burial of a 94-year-old man’s body was delayed for over two weeks owing to a standoff between the two factions in St Mary’s Church at Kattachira near Kayamkulam. The burial was conducted following an ultimatum by the collector