India-born priest becomes youngest consecrated Bishop in Church of England
London, Jan 27: An India-born vicar, who grew up in a leprosy hospital in Bangalore where his mother was a nurse, has been consecrated as Bishop in the Church of England with a staff, or crozier, made of Indian rosewood.
The Right Reverend Malayil Lukose Varghese Muthalaly, known as Saju, aged 42 became one of the youngest Bishops when he was consecrated during a Eucharist service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Tuesday.
"I have been preparing for this service very much aware of what a great privilege it is that people around the world are praying for this moment. There is a very strong sense of the wider church affirming this calling," said Rt. Rev. Saju.
Two of his four children, Zipp and Abraham, joined him for prayers during the service this week.
While he has started work towards his new role, he will be formally installed and known as Bishop of Loughborough only after a Welcome Service with guests and representatives of the diocese at Brockington Church of England Academy in Enderby, Leicestershire, on February 5.
The service in London marked the feast day of the conversion of St. Paul the apostle, and an insightful sermon was preached on that topic by Dr Selina Stone, tutor and lecturer in theology at St. Mellitus College.
"I absolutely loved the service There were so many people there cheering you on from here in Leicestershire and from Dubai, from India and other parts of the world, Rev. Saju told the BBC.
Rev. Saju has previously spoken about how he was born in India and spent the first half of his life there, around the beautiful backwaters of Kerala and then Bangalore. He has spent the last 21 years in England, where he arrived during a gap year and fell in love with Katy, now his wife.
"I sensed the call to live and work in England. And now, Loughborough feels like home. Our experience is that Leicestershire people are so welcoming, he said.
On his priorities for his new role in the East Midlands region, the reverend added: The first year I want to just spend time with as many people as I can. I am a stranger to this place, there's a lot to learn and a lot to listen to."
He also revealed his early to bed, early to rise routine, which includes lots of reading and reflecting. With his four young children, aged between eight and 12, he enjoys playing cricket, which he believes is among the most beautiful contributions the English have made to the world.
As a sporty person, he also enjoys running and has completed a few marathons.
Saju, whose appointment as Bishop in the Church of England was approved by Queen Elizabeth II in November last year, was educated at the Southern Asia Bible College in Bangalore, and trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at St. Thomas', Lancaster, in the Diocese of Blackburn and was ordained Priest in the Church of England in 2009.
Previously, Saju was appointed Associate Vicar at St. Thomas', Kendal, and St. Catherine's, Crook, in the Diocese of Carlisle, north-west England, in 2011. He has served at St. Mark's, Gillingham and St Mary's Island in the Diocese of Rochester since 2015 initially as Priest-in-Charge, before being appointed Vicar in 2019.
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PIL in SC seeking action against racial violence targeting northeastern citizens
New Delhi (PTI): A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention to address the "continuing constitutional failure" to prevent and respond to racial discrimination and violence against citizens from northeastern states and other frontier regions.
The PIL was filed on December 28 in the backdrop of the brutal killing of Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, who succumbed on December 27 to grievous injuries sustained in a racially motivated attack in Selaqui area of Dehradun.
Anjel from Unakoti district's Machmara went to Dehradun after completing his graduation in Holy Cross School, Agartala, to pursue MBA, where he was stabbed to death in the presence of his younger brother Michael.
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The family members of Chakma want capital punishment or at least life imprisonment for all the accused involved in the incident. Anoop Prakash Awasthi, a Delhi-based lawyer, has made the Centre and all the states and Union territories as parties to the PIL.
"That the present writ petition is being filed seeking issuance of writ under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking issuance of writ in the nature of mandamus, order, direction or any other appropriate writ for the violation of fundamental rights as under article 14, 19 (1) a & (g) and 21, and thus seeking judicial intervention to address the issue of racial discrimination and violence against Indian citizens from the north-eastern states and other frontier regions of India," the plea said.
"We are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?" words that tragically became the last recorded assertion of Anjel Chakma about his constitutional belonging before the confrontation escalated into brutal violence, it said while recounting the offence leading to his death.
The plea referred to media reports about Chakma's death.
The attackers allegedly assaulted and stabbed both brothers and Chakma sustained severe injuries to his neck and spine, remained unconscious throughout his treatment, and died after more than fourteen days in intensive medical care, it said, adding his death triggered widespread anguish, protests, and demands for justice across the country.
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"Issue an appropriate writ (ad interim till a legislation is made) in the nature of formulating comprehensive guidelines, recognising 'racial slur' as a separate category of hate crimes and determining punishment for the same," the plea said.
It sought a direction to the Centre and the states to create a "nodal agency or a permanent body or commission or directorate" at the central level as well as at the level of each state where such racial crimes can be reported and redressed.
"Direct the respondents at central level as well as at the level of each state to make and create a dedicated special police unit in each district/metropolitan area to address the racial crimes," it said.
The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the states to organise "workshops and debates at educational institutes on the issue of prevailing racial discrimination and ways to redress the same".
The petition said that despite the unmistakable hate-based and racial motivation behind the crime, India's criminal justice system lacks any mechanism to recognise or record racial bias at the initial stage of investigation.
As a result, such offences are treated as ordinary crimes, "erasing motive, diluting constitutional gravity, and perpetuating a pattern of impunity", it said.
The plea said that the killing of Chakma is not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing pattern of racial abuse and violence against citizens from the northeastern states.
The petition recalls earlier cases, including the death of Nido Taniam in 2014 and numerous assaults on students and workers in metropolitan cities, incidents that have been formally acknowledged by the Centre in parliamentary replies but, according to the petitioner, remain unaddressed through any dedicated legislative or institutional framework.
