A Syro Malabar Church priest, who was recently booked by the Madhya Pradesh police for sharing a post on Manipur violence in social media died by suicide on September 14, Thursday. Police had booked Fr Anil Francis, a manager in St Alphonsa Academy at Garhakota in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, a month ago for sharing the post on Manipur violence in a WhatsApp group. Representatives of Sagar diocese have alleged that the priest was under tension and pressure over the FIR lodged against him alleging insult to the national flag.

Fr Anil had reached the Bishop’s House in Sagar on Wednesday, September 13, to attend a prayer meeting to be held on Thursday. However he went missing. His body was later found. A suicide note has been found. “A month ago he had posted a message related to the Manipur issue, which also had India’s national flag. A former student from Udaipura, where he worked as a principal for six years, along with members of Sangh Parivar groups, saw his WhatsApp post and filed a criminal defamation complaint stating that he insulted the national flag,” Fr Jose Malekudy, Judicial Vicar, Sagar diocese, told TNM.

“That post did not have anything against the national flag. Even the police were not ready to register the case, but they were pressured by certain groups. But no further actions were taken in the case,” the priest said.

“We realise that Fr Anil Francis was under tension and pressure over an FIR lodged against him over a post he had shared on Manipur violence on social media. We also realise that in a suicide note, he had expressed his wish to cremate his body. We are extremely pained and sad over the death of Fr Anil Francis who was known for his commitment to the works given to him and dedicated to the values preached by him,” said a statement by Fr Sabu Puthenpurackal, Public Relation Officer of Sagar Diocese.

Speaking to TNM, Fr Jose said Christian institutions and priests are being targeted in many ways in Madhya Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power . “The land around St Francis orphanage that comes under our diocese was given to us for lease by the British government earlier. The orphanage has functioned there for 50 years. We applied to extend the lease period many times but without any reason they are not renewing it. Last year, with the help of the Child Welfare Committee, police tried to shift our children from the orphanage. When some of our priests tried to prevent it they were beaten up inside the police vehicle while being taken to the station,” the priest alleged.