The CPI(M) and Islamic groups that demonstrated all over Kerala against Doordarshan, the public broadcaster, screening the movie Kerala Story were in for a shock on Monday as the Idukki Diocese of the Catholic Church held a special show of the movie for students in the 15-19 age group in all the churches in the Diocese.

The film based only on  real life incidents portray the consequences of young girls eloping with Muslim boys who stage manage marriages to convince the victims only to send them as IS jihadis to fight for Islam in West Asia.

On Friday, the CPI(M) and its youth wing DYFI had held statewide protests against Doordarshan screening the movie in its prime time slot. Sources in Doordarshan told The Pioneer that hundreds of thousands viewers in Kerakla had watched the heart-rending movie about the life of young girls who are cheated by the Jihadi Romeos promising them a safe, secured and luxurious life.

The young Jihadis are deployed by the leaders of the extremist organizations and offer the youths motor bikes, smart phones and lot of cash in return for entrapping the gullible girls. The victims are selectively hand picked from Hindu and Christian community. Though the apprehensions expressed by the Hindu parents fell on deaf ears, the Christians took up the matter seriously which made the Arch Bishops and Bishops issue statements condemning the move. The bishop of Pala, Joseph Kallarangattu warned the laity about the increase in drug addiction among girls of the community because of the Jihadis’ modus operandi. 

“The movie Kerala Story is censored by the Central Board of Film Censors and has been certified that it was ideal for public screening. No communities have been named in the film and hence the claim that it would upset the communal harmony is out of place,” said Father Jins Karakkattil, spokesman, Idukki Diocese. He said the movie was screened as part of the Diocese’s Festival of Love and Trust. “We made the youngsters to watch the movie and discuss among them the seriousness of the situation and what real love was. There was no space for community here,” said Fater Karakkattil.

Meanwhile, efforts were underway to screen the movie in all the Dioceses across the State, according to Jaison Mazhuvancherry, minority cell leader of Kerala BJP. But the CPI(M) and the Congress were vying with one another in condemning the Church for screening the movie.