From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 3: Four more priests, the key leaders of the pro-Kannada agitation in the Archdiocese of Bangalore, are among the seven persons charge-sheeted by the Bengaluru Police in the brutal murder of Fr K J Thomas, the then Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary near Yeshwanthpur police station in the midnight after the Easter Sunday on April 1, 2013.
Fr K J Thomas
Police have obtained non-bailable warrants (NBWs) for the arrest of the seven accused, who include Fathers A Thomas, I Anthappa, Chowrappa Selvaraj alias Chasara and Anbu John and Raphael Raj, Anthony Prasad and Ms Rita Rini, from the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, in whose court the charge-sheet was filed on November 27 but kept under wraps due to the State Legislature Session.
With the arrest of three persons, including two priests, the total number of priests accused of the murder Fr K J Thomas goes to six and the total number of accused persons goes up to 12, including two persons named in the first charge-sheet and still absconding.
The NBWs will have to be executed by December 28, a police officer involved in the investigation told Daijiworld.
"This is a case of Omerta," the charge-sheet says in an obvious reference to the dreaded code of silence of the Sicilian mafia in Italy, when all the opponents were mercilessly silenced.
Demand for defrocking the accused priests
The entire second charge-sheet filed on November 27 and kept under wraps, reportedly runs into nearly 6000 pages including annexures, documents, corroborative statements, recording of statements from witnesses and the accused.
Meanwhile, K J Mathew, brother of the deceased Rector Fr K J Thomas, has in a letter addressed to the Papal Nuncio to India, Archbishop Salvatore Pennachio, and Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, the highest decision-making body for priests at the Vatican, has demanded laicization of the accused priests as their continuation as priests would send a wrong signal to the faithful.
Total number of accused in the murder so far is 12
It may be recalled that the Bengaluru police had arrested two priests, Fathers Elias Daniel and William Patrick, and a lay person Carmel Peter as the main accused in the murder of Fr K J Thomas, who was then 62, in the precincts of the Seminary and had filed charge-sheets a year after the ghastly murder, which shook the entire Christian community in Karnataka.
Of the two arrested and jailed priests, Fr William Patrick is the General Secretary of Kannada Catholic Yajakara Sangha. He also happens to be the brother of Fr Xavier Patrick, the then Procurator of the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary and the immediate neighbour of the deceased priest. He, however, did not open the door of his room even as Fr K J Thomas was called out of his room, stabbed and beaten and murdered outside the veranda. The other priest, Fr Elias Daniel belongs to the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD), was working in Gulbarga.
As the deceased priest hailed from neighbouring Kerala State and belonged to the Ootacamund Diocese in Tamil Nadu, the murder caused a serious disquiet in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as also rest of India and even across the world.
Two of the accused still absconding
With filing of charge-sheets against seven accused, including four priests, on November 27, the total number of persons accused of the ghastly murder goes up to 12, who include six priests.
Though five persons had been named as the accused in the first charge-sheet filed in March 2014, two persons identified as Francis and Swamy are yet to be arrested as they are absconding. But the three persons arrested in March last year are still in the Parappana Agrahara Jail in the outskirts of Bengaluru.
However, the original murder case is still pending before Bengaluru city’s Principal Sessions Judge Somashekara. The seven persons named in the second charge-sheet will also be tried before the same court.
Of the four priests accused of the murder of Fr K J Thomas, Fr I Anthappa is the Honorary President of Kannada Catholic Yajakara Balaga and Fr A Thomas is its President. The additional three lay persons charge-sheeted include Ms Rita Rini, Editor of Kannada Weekly Maathukathe, Raphael Raj, General Secretary of Akhila Karnataka Kannada Catholic Christhara Sangha and Anthony Prasad, the Treasurer of Santha Josephara Snehabhivruddhi Sangha (St Joseph’s Friendship Development Association).
Details of the Charge-sheet
As per the key portions of the charge-sheet in the possession of Daijiworld, the office-bearers of the Kannada Catholic Yajakara Balaga and the Akhila Karnataka Kannada Catholic Christhara Sangha and the accused persons held several "conspiracy meetings" under the leadership of Frs A Thomas, Chowrappa Selvaraj, I Anthappa and William Patrick in various places in Bengaluru from February 2000 and "decided to work towards taking over the properties and administration" of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary. They also allegedly "established contacts with other like-minded organisations such as Akhila Karnataka Kannada Catholic Christhara Sangha at Yeshwanthpura led by Raphael Raj and the Santha Josephara Snehabhivruddhi Sangha at St Joseph’s Church, Chamarajpet, led by Anthony Prasad. "The accused persons took the assistance of Rita Rini, Editor of Maathu Kathe, a Kannada Magazine, published from Bengaluru and Kannada Jagruthi Balaga led by RTO Chandru and other associates," the charge-sheet said.
It points out that the accused persons had "forcibly entered premises" of the Seminary on February 17, 2000, when the Board of Bishops meeting was underway, to demand a separate seminary for the Kannada speaking Christians within the premises of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary and Fr A Thomas "practically rushed to assault" the then Archbishop Ignatius Pinto, who had to "rescued" by the then Rector and present Bishop of Mysore Dr Thomas Vazhapilly, leading to filing of a police complaint by Fr K J Thomas as the Procurator.
The accused persons, according to the charge-sheet, had also created violent protests and disturbances during the Seminary Day on June 29, 2000, when the golden jubilee of the priesthood of a French priest teaching in the Seminary was being celebrated. Subsequently, Fr K J Thomas and the then Archbishop Pinto had filed a civil suit and obtained injunction from the City Civil Court against Frs William Patrick, A Thomas, late Stany Baptist, Chowrappa Selvaraj, I Joseph, Fathiraj, Santiago and Arulappa as well as all members of the Karnataka Kannada Catholic Priests’ Conference, which was in force from August 3, 2000 to October 14, 2004. "This civil suit (and restraining order) created great anger and resentment against Fr K J Thomas," it said.
The charge-sheet mentions that Frs William Patrick, A Thomas, C Selvaraj, Bartholomew and their associates used to visit Fr K J Thomas subsequent to the filing of the civil suit and had "threatened him saying that they would wreak vengeance on him for having involved them in court litigation." The accused persons were also involved in forcible entry into the seminary premises and demanded hoisting of the Kannada flag in front of the seminary, which finally resulted in the Seminary authorities hoisting the Kannada flag on their own on November 1 every year. The disturbances and violent protests inside the seminary had made Fr K J Thomas to confide in his fellow priests Frs John Abraham and Choury Moses that "his life was in great danger as he was always targeted by Karnataka Kannada Christha Gurugala Balaga and Akhila Karnataka Catholic Christhara Kannada Sangha."
The charge-sheet lists a series of documents and communications by the organisations headed by the accused persons comprising rantings against the dominance of Tamil, Malayalee and Konkani speaking clergy in the State and occupying top slots in the Archdiocese to the utter neglect of Kannada speaking priests. It also mentions that the "cell-phones possessed by the accused persons were used for conspiring amongst themselves to commit this crime (murder of Fr K J Thomas), which is established from the call details report from the service providers and its evaluation as well as a report by the Technical Centre, CCB, Bengaluru."