By Matters India Reporter
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 13, 2018: Mystery surrounds the death of a priest of the Trivandrum Syro-Malankara archdiocese.
The police suspect it to be suicide case, but the priest’s parishioner’s allege foul play, newsatindia.com, a local news portal reported on December 13.
The body of Father Albin Varghese Thevalappurath was found around 7 pm on 12 hanging from a ceiling fan in the presbytery of St. Joseph’s Malankara Catholic Church at Kuravankonam near Kowdiar, a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state.
Earlier in the day, Father Thevalappurath was released from a hospital where he was admitted with injuries after a road an accident on December 7.
At the time of his discharge from the hospital, the priest had reportedly told his friends that he was going to his home in Kottarakara, 65 km north of Thiruvananthapura, for rest and recuperation.
The reason for the death is not yet clear. The police have conducted inquest and other legal formalities. They have not discovered any suicide note from the priest’s room.
The parishioners have demanded the police to probe all angles to unearth the truth behind the priest’s death.
They assert that the priest could not commit suicide as he used to take motivational classes for young people of the Syro-Malankara Church.
They also allege the road accident was part of a conspiracy to kill the priest.
It was only a year ago, he was made the parish priest of Kuravankonam, around 9 km from Pattam, the headquarters of the Syro-Malankara Church.
headquarters of the Syro-Malankara Church.