Amid The Kerala Story row, church under Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese screens documentary on Manipur

Thrissur: Barely days ahead of the first phase of the general election, two more dioceses of the influential Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala have decided to hold screenings of The Kerala Story to spread awareness about ‘forced religious conversions’. The intention, however, is not to trigger a political debate, said representatives of the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) units associated with the Thalassery archdiocese.

Soon after the announcement, St. Joseph’s Syro-Malabar Church in Sanjopuram, Vypin, said it had decided to show its students a documentary on the ethnic clashes in Manipur, called The Cry of the Oppressed. Father James Panavelil, vicar of the church, said, “Manipur is the truth. It’s a fact. It’s not a lie or propaganda. More than being a counterstatement, I wanted to teach students and remind them of the saddest incident of the previous year.”

He added the story of Manipur was that of pain and hoped the people of Kerala would be able to reject “cooked-up stories and propaganda”.

The KCYM’s announcement to screen The Kerala Story was preceded by a screening of the controversial movie held by the Idukki diocese on 4 April, which led to criticism from left-wing groups who also chastised it for urging people to catch the movie’s premiere on Doordarshan the next day.

It was shortly after the screening by Idukki diocese that the KCYM units of Thalassery and Thamarassery made separate social media posts, saying they too would screen the movie.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council’s Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance defended the screening. In a press statement, it said the diocese leadership was attempting to create awareness among its community.

However, the Thalassery unit later clarified that the movie would not be screened in churches to avoid any controversy ahead of the elections.

Commenting on the developments, Geevarghese Coorilos, the Metropolitan of Niranam diocese of Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, said’churches should screen stories of love and not of hate.’

At the same time, Anil Antony, the BJP’s candidate from Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat, supported the screening held by the Idukki diocese. “We must remember that this is a government clamouring for freedom of expression. We need to recognise the false faces of the politics of appeasement. My opinion is that every Malayali should watch this movie. Under recently enacted Indian laws, the Modi government has ensured those who cheat a girl in the guise of fake love will be punished. Modi guarantees the safety of our girls,” he said.

Talking to ThePrint, Richard John, president of KCYM Thamarassery unit, said the screening has nothing to do with the polls and is merely a bid “to resist” conversion.

He defended the Idukki diocese saying the subject was “part of the syllabus” and an internal matter of the church. “They didn’t discuss the politics of the movie with students. But, the method of religious conversion shown in the movie is real. We believe it and have proof to show that it is real,” he said, adding the local Nedumkandam police acting on a complaint launched an inquiry into the screening. “The central government released the movie after censoring it. It was even screened in theatres and OTTs, with people watching it on both platforms,” he added.

He added that the KCYM didn’t want to politicise the issue and simply wanted to warn youngsters of the community about religious conversions. The movie was chosen since it is easy to attract youngsters through visual media, he said, adding that the Thamarassery unit will screen the movie across its 120 units starting Saturday.

The diocese covers the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.

He also said the organisation believes that the movie does not show Kerala in a bad light. “We were also criticised for ‘supporting’ the BJP. That is not true either. KCYM of Thamarassery has its politics. It’s not related to the politics of the BJP nor do we support it. We don’t believe that BJP can protect the believers of the diocese,” John said, adding that he did not want to talk about the movie’s “ties” to Hindutva politics.

ThePrint reached the KCYM unit of Thalassery for comment via calls but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.

Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story portrays the narrative of a group of young women in Kerala, who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining Islamist terrorist organisations. The 2023 movie was criticised by both Kerala’s ruling LDF and the Opposition Congress-led UDF for maligning the state and attempting to create religious divide.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan condemned DD National’s decision to screen it on 5 April. Vijayan posted the day before the movie was to be aired that the national broadcaster’s move “incited polarisation”, adding that DD should not become “a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine”. He urged DD to reconsider its decision to air the movie which he said “only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections”.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan too requested the Election Commission to stop DD from airing the movie. He wrote to the poll body saying, “The decision by the central government to telecast the movie via Doordarshan before the Lok Sabha election is a tacit effort to divide society on religious grounds to further the election prospects of the ruling BJP.”

(Edited by Tikli Basu)