Taking a serious note of the tension flared following an incident in which the assistant vicar of St. Mary’s Forane Church in Poonjar was knocked by a vehicle while trying to stop a group of youths from racing on the church’s premises, authorities here on Thursday resolved the issue through mediation.
The meeting, convened by District Collector V. Vigneswari on a directive of Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan, was attended by elected representatives, members of the various social and religious organisations and parents of the youths.
The mediation ended on a positive note with both sides condemning the incident and deciding to move on, the Minister said.
“Everyone expressed full support to the efforts towards restoring peace. Everyone will be careful not to rekindle the the issue,’’ the Minister said after the meeting.
According to him, the accused in the case were students and also included those under 18 years of age. Steps will be taken to ensure that they write their final examinations. The District Police Chief will review the various offences charged against these students, he added.
The police, meanwhile, have been directed to initiate stern action against those attempting to trigger communal hatred. With the upcoming parliamentary election, various political parties too seized upon the issue, advocating for decisive measures against the offenders,
The incident, reported last week, had triggered widespread protests with the faithful organising protest marches across the central Travancore region. The police arrested all the youths involved ing the incident and lodged a case of attempted murder.
The vehicles used by the accused too were impounded.
