PIRAVOM: A tense situation prevailed at the Piravom St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Cathedral in connection with the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment. The Jacobite faction stopped the Orthodox faction from entering the Church. Head of the Jacobite faction responded saying the control of the church will not be given to the Orthodox faction. A large number of people including elderly women have joined the protests.

A large contingent of police led by rural district police superintendent K Karthik had been deployed at Piravom Tuesday evening after the Orthodox faction informed to enter the church Wednesday morning at 7 am. Baselios Thomas I Bava and some other priests conducted a mass in the church last night. They later sat with the devotees in the church.

A team of more than 700 policemen has been deployed in the area. Water cannons and barricades are all set up. A scuba team has also been made ready with the fire brigade. A team of revenue department led by RDO are camping outside. The Piravom Valiyapally is located on the banks of a river. Four boats from Alappuzha and Kottayam districts have reached Piravom.

Fr Skaria Vattakkattil, Fr Mathew Kanjiramparayil, Fr Elias Cherukadu, Fr Mathew Vathakkattu from the Orthodox faction approached the court seeking protection to offer prayers at the church.