Author:
Publication: The Times
of India
Date: August 1, 2000
GUNTUR: The son of a
Congress leader was arrested by the police on Sunday allegedly in connection
with the murder of a bishop, G Emanuel, inside a church compound here on
Saturday.
The accused, S Viplava
Ambedkar (31), a post-graduate, and four others had been allegedly hired
for the killing by ``arch rivals'' of the bishop for a sum of Rs 3 lakh,
superintendent of police M Sambasiva Rao told reporters here.
Three of the other accused
were identified as S Bhima Rao Ambedkar, Ravi and T Moses, who believed
to have planned the murder, the SP said.
He said investigations
had revealed that a lot of bitterness had been created among some persons
during elections to offices of the affluent Andhra Evangelical Lutheran
Church, of which Emanuel was president.
The church had extensive
real estate holdings in urban areas worth crores of rupees, he said.
The SP said the bishop
was involved in protracted litigation with his rivals over the validity
of his election and alienation of the church's immovable properties by
him.
The main cause for the
murder was suspected to be Emanuel's decision to give the premises of the
hospital here on a long lease to a non-resident Indian for establishment
of a medical college.
The decision had been
opposed tooth and nail by the bishop's `enemies' on the board, who also
challenged it in court, he said, adding that the case was still undecided.
Meanwhile, in fresh attacks
on Christians in Uttar Pradesh, a priest's house was burgled and the watchman
of a missionary school severely beaten up and his wife robbbed of ornaments.
Unidentified attackers
barged into the house of a cleric of a Christian voluntary organisation
at Ghansali in Tehri Garhwal Saturday night, severely beat up his servant
and decamped with valuable goods, police said.
The father was not present
in the house at the time of the incident, police said, adding the injured
servant had been hospitalised.
Security personnel had
been deployed at the father's residence.
Police said a group of
four people forced their way into the room of a watchman of St Peter School
at Jaswantnagar in Etawah district and clubbed him before escaping with
ornaments of his wife.
A police constable on
duty at the school has been suspended for dereliction of duty. (PTI)
