A Catholic organisation dedicated to maintaining vigilance on social harmony has decided to conduct programmes to create awareness among the laity about dangerous socio-political and religious ideologies that trigger ethnic conflicts and communal violence as in Manipur.

The Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance, which is part of the influential Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), took the decision in view of the unending ethno-communal violence in the northeastern state for which it directly blamed the central and state governments.

Also known as the Jagratha commission, the organisation’s secretary Fr Michael Pulickal was quoted in a statement issued on Saturday as saying that it was “duty-bound to create awareness among the people about the wounds of communalism and ethnic conflicts, including the happenings in Manipur”.

“The role of state and central governments in how the clashes erupted and Christians became victims of extreme atrocities is undeniable,” it stated.

The Jagratha commission’s branches in each of the 32 Catholic dioceses in Kerala will reach out to the laity through talks and seminars to generate awareness and prepare them to ward off dangerous ideologies.

The organisation alleged that Christians had been singled out, although the authorities have blamed the Manipur violence on ethnic rivalry between the Hindu-majority Meiteis and the Christian-dominated Kukis.

“The people of this country need to understand how certain social, political and religious ideologies use communal polarisation and ethnic conflicts as shortcuts to stay in power,” the commission noted, adding: “Any political establishment unable to guarantee the life, property, self-respect and belief systems is a failure.”

“The people need to be alert to isolate those who are building walls and fomenting conflicts ignoring the provisions of our Constitution and our culture,” the church body warned.

The commission slammed the Manipur government for its indecisiveness in even calling for unity and peace. “A question mark remains on the government’s indecisiveness for not even making a call to maintain unity and peace even after two-and-a-half months since the lives and livelihood of thousands were affected.”

Pulickal told The Telegraph that the commission would be addressing the issue by talking to the laity to warn them about the dangers of communal ideologies. “This initiative is specifically conceived to warn the people about the hidden agenda of various groups even within ourown community,” he said, appearing to refer to the recent emergence of Christian Right-wing organisations that are seen as flirting with the Sangh parivar.

The Catholic church and its bishops in Kerala have been particularly outspoken against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over their failure to contain the violence in Manipur where hundreds of churches and homes of Christians were among those burned down.

Asked if the latest stand against the BJP government construed a realisation of the futility of backing the Sangh parivar, Pulickal denied the Church had ever extended any such support. “We have been wrongly accused by the Kerala media of becoming pro-BJP, while all we did was to show respect to our Prime Minister,” he said, alluding to seven bishops meeting Modi in Kochi in April.

In a separate statement issued on Friday, the KCBC called for the resignation of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh. “Chief minister Biren Singh who says there are hundreds of such incidents is an insult to politicians. It is better that (he) resigns for his failure to contain the violence even after months,” the KCBC said, referring to two tribal women being paraded naked in Manipur on May 4.