J. Stephen, who had been on a fast over the last four days, was arrested and shifted to a hospital as a public relay hunger strike by Save Our Sisters Action Council in support of a Catholic nun, who was allegedly raped by Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, entered the ninth day on Sunday.
Mr. Stephen is a member of the Joint Christian Council, a forum calling for drastic reforms within the Church. A member of SOS Action Council said Mr. Stephen was removed by the police around 11 a.m. after his health condition deteriorated. His place has been taken by Aloshya Joseph, who was part of a forum calling for the implementation of the proposed Church Act to regulated use of money and property by the church authorities.
The support for the ongoing protest at the Kerala High Court Junction in the city has grown and on Sunday dozens of speakers at the venue criticised the State for its failure to act against the Jalandhar bishop. The four nuns from Kuravilangad, who were participating in the protest action, said that they would not stop the protest until the bishop was arrested.
Meanwhile, a ‘Natak,’ a group of actors, joined the protest by organising street plays.
Augustine Vattoli, a Catholic priest of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, said the SOS Action Council would organise programmes in district headquarters across Kerala.
