Uniform holy mass: Police, protesters clash outside archbishop's residence

TENSION flared at the Syro Malabar Church archbishop's house in Kochi on Saturday as a clash broke out between police and a group of priests who oppose the uniform holy mass.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kochi

The altercation occurred after police forcibly removed priests who had been on a hunger strike inside the archbishop's house, protesting actions taken against some clergy regarding the unified holy mass issue.

According to the protesting priests, the incident unfolded around 4.30am when they were forcibly evicted from the archbishop's house by a police team led by Ernakulam central assistant police commissioner C Jayakumar. "We were sleeping on the floor when the police arrived and demanded that we leave. As we were changing our clothes, officers filmed us. Then they seized our mobile phones and forcibly dragged us outside. One priest sustained an injury during the police action, and another's clothes were torn," one of the protesting priests said. "Despite being told that we were residents of the house, the police refused to listen to us. They later locked us in the compound of the Basilica," the priest added.