November 3, 2011
Nearly 100 people, mostly Hindus, in Thamarassery diocese in Kerala protested the construction of a proposed Catholic cemetery in the area Nov. 2, saying it posed a danger to the environment.

The protesters, who have formed the Anti-Cemetery Action Committee, held a rally outside the Kozhikode collectorate in the southern Indian diocese.
Opposition to the cemetery in Maloorkunnu village began last year when the project was announced, and local villagers say they will join the ranks of protesters.
“We will not allow the Church to construct a cemetery here, as it will harm the surrounding environment,” said Vincent Kollammaparambil, a villager from Maloorkunnu.
Villagers say the remains of dead bodies in the soil would pollute ground water.
Fr Jose Manimalatharappil, the parish priest, said yesterday that complaints about the environmental risks of the cemetery were baseless and misleading.
“People are resisting because of ignorance. We are creating concrete vaults that will never cause any pollution,” he said.A villager identified only as Sadasivan, who lives near the proposed site, said the cemetery would affect the reputation of Maloorkunnu, adding that the proposed cemetery has already caused a dip in local land prices.
“People are scared to live near the cemetery,” he said.
The church has purchased four-and-a-half acres of land in the village to build a cemetery, school, old age home, hostel and self-employment center. The cemetery will be built on 40 percent of the land.At present, the parish uses a cemetery located five kilometers away.Even now Hindus cremate their dead ones in their house compound