Nov 26, 2007 / 10:00 am
A Catholic priest protesting an unfinished bridge construction project was beaten by a police officer Wednesday in the Kerala town of Alappuzha.
Father Edward Puthanpurackal was beaten and pushed down while protesting the lack of progress on Chethi Bridge, which has been unfinished for 19 years. He was accosted by an officer who was a deputy superintendent of police.
The priest and the protestors had developed a new protesting tactic by rolling their bodies on the road. Police told them not to roll on the road, and arrested those who did so.
Father Puthanpurackal is the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) Director of Alappuzha Diocese. Six other KCYM officers and members in the protest were also beaten and arrested.
The Vijayapuram Catholic Diocesan Council condemned the beating and arrest of Father Edward Puthanpurackal and his fellow activists. KCYM organized a protest of the police beatings with a rally near a police station.