As the groundswell of anger over the death of three persons by a raging wild gaur continues to rock the high-range settlements of Central Travancore, the issue on Sunday took a political turn with a war of words between the Catholic church and Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran.
The episode began to unfold in the morning when Mr. Saseendran, while addressing the media in the morning, criticised the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) – the apex body of the catholic Church in Kerala. Holding that a section was using the dead body of victims to bargain with the government, he urged the organisation to abstain from supporting such moves.
“The stance of the KCBC does not reflect its tradition. The organisation should uphold its tradition of maintaining peace and harmony,’’ the Minister said, alluding to the criticisms levelled by the church against the government on the issue.
