Preumbavoor(Kerala): Tensions broke out at church premises here between a group of parishioners and the parish priest, at a funeral ceremony regarding the burial vault allotted to the family. The incident happened at St.Antony’s church Antopuram, Okkal near Perumbavoor.
Around 9:30 am in the morning, the deceased person’s body was brought to the church premises for funeral. An argument ensued between a group of parishioners and the parish priest. They stopped the parish priest from starting the funeral rites.
The group alleged that the church had offered a 2009 vault for the funeral, not following the standard practice of opening the oldest burial vault (of 2008). They also accused the church authorities of colluding with the family of the 2008 vault had allegedly made a donation of Rs. 500,000 for church refurbishment.
The parish priest explained that the 2008 family had paid for the vault to be kept for a longer period. However, the members of the church committee denied it saying that no such discussion had taken place
A police team led by Circle Inspector of Police, Saji Markose had to be called to the church premises to bring the situation under control. The issue was finally resolved, after discussions with the diocesan authorities. The funeral finally went ahead 3 hours later than scheduled and the body was laid to rest in the 2009 vault.