General Mathew Nellickal, who was burried a day earlier by Catholics from around the country. Mathew Nellickal, 65, the Vicar General of Tejpur diocese in India’s northeastern state of Assam "was brutally murdered," and Catholics were still "in deep shock", after his disfigured body was found last weekend, said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).
"Mons. Nellickal was found dead at about 10.30 on Saturday, Sep. 3 with deep cuts on his head in the store room next to his bedroom. [He] was attacked with a sharp weapon causing multiple injuries on the head," the organization added in remarks seen by BosNewsLife News Center.
RESIDENTS DISCOVERY
The discovery came after "residents of the Bishop’s house noticed the absence of the slain priest," the CBCI said. "They knocked on the door of his room. When they failed to get any response, they entered through the back door, only to find his body in the adjoining store room. Police, who were informed, rushed to the site immediately."
The motive of the killing was not immediately clear and the CBCI stressed that the killed church leader was a "kind and much-loved person with no enemies at all." However "the police investigation is on," the CBCI explained. A suspect, identified as Thomas Ekka, was reportedly detained by police forces.
The latest attack came amid frustration within the CBCI and human rights groups about the government’s apparent inability to stop violence against Christians and other religious minorities. Many of the attacks have been blamed on Hindu militants.
The homicide "should be seen in the context of increasing atrocities committed against exponents of the Church, institutions and missionaries in the country," stressed Fr Babu Joseph, spokesman for the CBCI, in an interview with the Catholic oriented website AsiaNews. "We need an immediate and effective response from the government to end violence against the Church in India,” he was quoted as saying.
"SUCCESFUL PRINCIPAL"
Nellickal assumed the office as vicar general about two months ago. Earlier he had been a "successful principal of a school" and also the rector of a minor seminary of the diocese, the CBCI said.
Born at Palai in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Nellickal was ordained priest in 1974. Throughout the years, he covered a number of posts, including those of parish priest, director of a school and rector of the Muktidata seminary, according to Catholic Church sources.
His death has hit the local Christian community hard, reported AsiaNews. Christians reportedly represent 15 percent of the population of Tejpur and 3 percent of the population of Assam. All religious schools in the city and in the district of Sonitpur were closed as a sign of mourning, AsiaNews reported.
The Bishop of Tejpur diocese, Robert Kerketta, was to lead the funeral mass in the Tejpur cathedral, attended by archbishops and other leaders including 150 priests. (With Stefan J. Bos, and reports from India).
