A 40-year-old Catholic priest, who was booked by Madhya Pradesh police for sharing a social media post on the Manipur police, died by suicide, reports The Indian Express. Police said that Father Anil Francis (40), a member of the Syro Malabar Church, was a manager at St Alphonsa Academy in Sagar district’s Garhakota.
He was found hanging from a tree near a cemetery on Thursday (September 14).
Police said that there had been no sign of foul play.
On Wednesday, Francis had gone to the Bishop’s House in Sagar to attend a prayer meeting. He went missing later in the day,
In a purported suicide note, Francis wished to be cremated instead of customary burial.
Meanwhile, Sagar Diocese public relations officer Father Sabu Puthenpurackal said that the suicide could have been a result of several issues that he was facing, not just being booked.
A statement from the Sagar Diocese said, “We realise that Fr Anil Francis was under tension and pressure over an FIR lodged against him over a post he had shared on Manipur violence on social media. We also realise that in a suicide note, he had expressed his wish to cremate his body. We are extremely pained and sad over the death of Fr Anil Francis, who was known for his commitment to the works given to him and dedicated to the values preached by him.”