Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A narco analysis test on a priest and two cooks at the Central Forensic Science Lab in Ahmedabad last week in connection with the probe into the April 1 murder of the head priest of a prominent Catholic Seminary has provided leads pointing to an internal conspiracy for the murder,according to the police here.
With the murder of 64-year-old Fr K J Thomas on the premises of the St Peters Pontifical Seminary,a training centre for Catholic priests,remaining unsolved for three months,and with pressure mounting from the Minorities Commission and church authorities in Rome,the police subjected three key suspects to narco analysis tests.
Fr Thomas,who hailed from Kerala,was found dead in the early hours of April 1. He was suspected to have been killed around 2:30 am that night. He was discovered in a semi naked state in a tea room of the seminary by the only other priest,Fr Patrick,who was on campus that night after 150-odd aspiring priests left for their homes for vacation.
The priest had succumbed to injuries to his head. Despite signs of struggle and doors and furniture being overturned,no sounds were reported to have been heard by Fr Patrick who was in an adjoining room.
Initially,the attack was suspected to be part or a robbery attempt since the priests room had been ransacked. The police had also been looking into possible internecine battle between language groups in Karnataka for control over church activities in the state as a motive behind the murder. The police were also following the theory of disgruntled student priests being involved and a power struggle over the murdered priests likely promotion to a Bishops position for the Ooty region.
