Catholic priest ends life following ’anti-national’ FIR for sharing Manipur violence pos

Agencies

Bhopal, 19 Sep 2023: Father Anil Francis, the manager of St Alphonsa Academy in Garhakota, Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh, has tragically taken his own life. His suicide comes in the wake of a police case that was filed against him a month ago for sharing a post related to Manipur violence on WhatsApp.

 

The FIR filed against Father Anil Francis accused him of insulting the national flag, and this legal trouble appears to have weighed heavily on his mind, according to priests from the Sagar diocese.

 

 

It’s worth noting that the post shared by Father Anil Francis did not contain any content related to the national flag. Rather, some groups had allegedly pressured the police into registering the case against him, as stated by Fr Jose Malekudy.

 

Father Anil Francis was a dedicated individual who adhered to the principles he taught, emphasized Fr Sabu Puthanapurakal, the PRO of the diocese.

 

"The Christian organizations and priests in Madhya Pradesh, including Father Anil Francis, have been targeted by the BJP. Furthermore, the British government had leased land to the diocese for St Francis Orphanage, which has been operating there for the past 50 years. However, the lease has not been renewed, despite multiple applications submitted. Last year, there were attempts to relocate the children associated with the orphanage with the assistance of the Children Welfare Committee. Some priests who intervened in an effort to prevent this were taken to the police station and assaulted during the process," he alleged.