Manipur violence documentary screened in Kerala church under Syro Malabar Church

Kochi: After the Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church screened the controversial movie 'The Kerala Story', a church under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese on Wednesday showed a documentary on the Manipur violence to students attending its vacation catechism classes.

The documentary 'Cry of the Oppressed' on the violence in Manipur was screened for around 125 students at the Sanjopuram St Joseph's Church under the influential Syro Malabar Catholic Church.

Father James Panavelil, the vicar of the church, said that 'The Kerala Story' is a propaganda film and that it should not be screened by the church.

"I was of the view that such a propaganda film should not be in a children's class. If we do, we too will become part of that propaganda. So in order to give the message to stay away from that controversy and not forget the violence in Manipur, the 15-minute long documentary was shown," he told PTI.

Father Panavelil further said that what happened in Manipur was not an exaggeration a lie or something that did not happen.

"It was something that happened and was condemned by the church leadership itself. So what is wrong with showing the documentary? Also, we were aware that 'The Kerala Story' was not required to be shown," he added.

"As far as I am concerned, the church should not be part of a propaganda film, especially during the elections," he further said, referring to the 'The Kerala Story'.

While speaking to a TV channel, the vicar said that 'The Kerala Story', "like 'The Kashmir Files' was a planned agenda or propaganda of the Sangh Parivar" and the common people know that.

At the same time, he said he was not going to comment on the beliefs or convictions of those who screened the controversial film by Sudipto Sen which hit theatres last year and whose plot revolves around a group of women from Kerala who were forced to convert to Islam and join the terror outfit ISIS.

The vicar said that the Idukki diocese may have had good intentions with regard to the future of the children, but they could have chosen different content or material for the purpose. "A film like 'Kappela' would have been better instead of a propaganda film like this ('The Kerala Story')," he said.

On Monday, the Idukki Diocese offered an explanation that the movie was exhibited to teenagers allegedly as part of an intensive training programme to "create awareness about love relationships and their consequences and dangers." Following the screening by the Idukki diocese, the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) units associated with the Thalassery archdiocese and the Thamarassery diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church announced that they too would screen the controversial movie.

The influential Syro-Malabar Church is the largest Eastern Catholic Church after the Ukrainian Church.

On Tuesday, a division of the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council reaffirmed its decision to conduct awareness programmes aimed at addressing societal issues and protecting young people from potential negative influences.

Without referring to the film, the Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance, under the KCBC, came out with a statement, claiming that terrorism and betrayals in the name of romantic relationships are a "reality of the time", and the Church gives cautionary directives keeping this in mind.

The movie, screened by public broadcaster Doordarshan last week, has drawn sharp reactions cutting across politics in Kerala since its release.

The CPI(M) had alleged that the film was a part of the RSS agenda to humiliate the state. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a "blatant lie" is being peddled and presented as a film to tarnish the image of the state.

Congress leaders V D Satheesan and A K Antony had said the movie was a trap laid by the Sangh Parivar and cautioned people against falling into it, while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key partner in opposition UDF, contended that the church should screen the video of the ongoing violence in Manipur instead of 'The Kerala Story'.

Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, on the other hand, said the movie has a censor certificate and anyone can watch it.