The Ernakulam Town North police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) for murder and criminal conspiracy against the leaders of the Malankara Orthodox Church in connection with the death of Metropolitan Mathews Mar Athanasios, who reportedly fell from a train in 2018.
This was based on the directive by a court to investigate the death following an allegation by an individual that the death was a murder.
The Orthodox Church dubbed it as an attempt to tarnish its image as part of the ongoing feud with the rival Jacobite Church. They would move the High Court on Monday to get the FIR quashed.
The FIR arraigned Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Church, Mathew Mar Severios, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, Metropolitan of Ahmadabad diocese, and Biju Oommen, secretary of the church, as accused. It has been registered under IPC Section 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
A spokesperson for the Orthodox Church said that the allegations made by the petitioner were absurd. The spokesperson said that none of the accused in the FIR were on the said train. He said the police had investigated the death in 2018 and found it to be an accident and alleged the petitioner to be from the rival faction.
Thomas Mar Athanasios, 80, had died after reportedly falling off a train at Pullepady, Ernakulam, in the early hours of August 24, 2018. The police had at that time concluded that the Bishop was diabetic and that he might have fallen after he felt uneasiness while at the door. The possibility of the door slamming against him, leading to his fall, even as he was waiting to alight from the train was also looked into.
