From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 16: Staunch pro-Kannada protagonist priest and one of the six priests charge-sheeted in the gruesome murder of the then Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary at Malleswaram in Bengaluru in the small hours of the Easter night on April 1, 2013, Fr C Selvaraj alias Chasara died in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning.

The funeral of the 61-year-old priest at St Philomena’s Hospital in Bengaluru at 4 am, will be held at St Joseph’s Church Briand Square on Thursday March 17 at 10 am as per the wish of the deceased priest and the request of the family members.

Fr C Selvaraj’s (Chasara) body was shifted to St John’s Medical College Hospital Mortuary and was taken to St Joseph’s Church, Briand Square, Chamarajpet, on Wednesday afternoon at 4.30 p.m. for the public to pay their last respects.

The mortal remains will be shifted to the Cemetery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Mariapura, for burial after the funeral service at St Joseph’s Church, Briand Square.

The 61-year-old priest was ailing due to Acute Pancreatitis and Ischemic Heart Disease and was admitted at the St Philomena’s Hospital.

Archbishop visits, anoints

The Archbishop of Bangalore Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras, has in a condolence message, mentioned that he went to see him on March 15 evening after being informed of Fr C Selvaraj’s (Chasara) admission at the St Philomena’s Hospital and also administered to him the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on Wednesday (March 16) morning.

"We never thought that his end would come so soon," the Archbishop said.

"Let us continue to pray for the repose of his soul in gratitude to God for all the services that he had rendered to all of us in the Archdiocese.

The Archbishop also said: "On behalf of all of us, I express my heartfelt condolences to late Fr Selvaraj’s dear parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends. May the Lord grant them strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss."

No Requiem Mass by Archbishop

"In his (Fr C Selvaraj) last Will, dated 21st October, 2015, he had mentioned that the Archbishop should not say the Requiem mass for me,” and, accordingly, the Archbishop will not be offering the Requiem Mass.

"However, a Holy Mass for the repose of his (Fr C Selvarj) soul will be offered by me on March 17 at 8 am at the Sacred Heart Church, Richmond Town. May I request the priests, religious and the lay faithful to participate in it," the Archbishop said.

Fr K J Thomas Murder in 2013

It may be recalled that he was among the six priests charge-sheeted in the murder of Fr K J Thomas, two of whom Fr William Patrick and Fr Elias Daniel, have been arrested and in jail since March 2014, along with a lay person Carmel Peter.

Fr C Selvaraj (Chasara) is among the other four priests – Fr A Thomas, Fr I Anthappa and Fr Anbu John – who were accused of the murder of Fr K J Thomas, when the Bengaluru City Police filed the additional charge sheet on November 27, along with Raphael Raj, Anthony Prasad and Rita Rini, taking the total number of persons accused of the murder and charge sheeted to 12.

The police had obtained Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) for the arrest of the seven persons named in the additional charge sheet filed in November last year and the NBWs were to be executed within 20 days. But the police are yet to execute the arrest warrants.

Meanwhile, Fr I Anthappa (86), one of the oldest among the dozen persons accused and charge-sheeted in the murder of Fr K J Thomas, was granted conditional anticipatory bail on payment of a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh by Justice A V Chandrashekar of Karnataka High Court.

But the bail plea of one of the accused persons among the 12 charge-sheeted for the murder of Fr K J Thomas, Ms Rita Rini, who is the Editor of Kannada journal Maathukate, who incidentally is the only woman among the 12, was rejected by the court.

"It is premature to disbelieve the material witnesses and evidence collected by the police against Ms Rita Rini," the High Court said rejecting the plea for granting anticipatory bail.

However, two of the dozen persons Swamy and Francis, who were named the first charge-sheet in March 2014 along with the three arrested persons are absconding.

Prolific Kannada Writer, Preacher

Fr C Selvaraj was born in Bengaluru on November 5, 1955 and baptized on November 27, 1955 at the Holy Ghost Church, Bengaluru. His parents, Chowrappa and Mariamma, are blessed with five children, including 3 boys, and Fr Selvaraj was the fourth child.

Fr C Selvaraj studied studied at St Aloysius High School and, after completing his High School Studies, joined St Mary’s Minor Seminary and continued his priestly formation at St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore. He was ordained a Priest on June 2, 1983 by the former Archbishop of Bangalore, the Dr Packiam Arokiasamy. He was the first priest from the Holy Ghost Parish for the Archdiocese.

Fr C Selvaraj (Chasara), a prolific reader, good orator and preacher blessed with many talents, had authored a number of books in Kannada related to Bible, Catechetics and Liturgy. He was a musician and brought out a couple of Hymnals, DVDs and CDs to promote devotion and spiritual renewal. He worked hard for the uplift of the downtrodden. He loved his parishioners and worked for their spiritual and temporal well-being.

He had served the St Joseph’s Church, Briand Square; Ss Peter and Paul Church, Rayapuram; St James Church, Mariannapalya; St Rita’s Church, Chellikere; Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Lourdes Boys School, Tumkur and St Joseph’s Church, Briand Square, in different capacities over the years.