Kerala: Church raises 'army' to back agitating farmers

KOZHIKODE: Scores of retired military and paramilitary personnel in Kerala are being called back to “service” by the Thalassery archdiocese as part of the Gabriel Army of Thalassery, a volunteer group whose brief is to rally behind aggrieved farmers as they embark on a massive campaign to demand relief from the state government.

The ex-servicemen are scheduled to converge on St Mary’s auditorium in Thaliparamba on November 15 to formally launch Gabriel Army and join hands with the farming community of the North Malabar region, where unrest has been brewing over the government’s allegedly apathetic attitude towards the agriculture sector.

“Farmers in our region have been dealing with many issues, including depredation by elephant herds and low prices for rubber,” Fr Thomas Thengumpally, chancellor of the Thalassery archdiocese, told .

He said the leadership and crowd management skills of ex-servicemen would come in handy during the farmers’ protest on December 9. Gabriel Army members will coordinate with farmers’ groups to ensure the agitation is effective without being unruly. “The group has nothing to do with religious activities. Its duty is crowd management,” said Fr Mathew Ashariparambil, director of Gabriel Army.