An incident in Madurai, in which a husband and his sons prayed for three days in front of a dead women in the hope that she would resurrect, has shocked residents nearby.
Balakrishnan, who is from the Chitambarapuram area near Kalakkadu in Tirunelveli District, has been living with his wife Malathi and two sons in the Madurai SS Colony, Janaki Narayanan Street.
Balakrishnan retired as a manager in a private hotel. Jaishankar, his elder son, has completed his medical studies, while his younger brother is in his third year of an MBBS degree.
They are said to have converted from Hinduism to Christianity a few years ago and were preaching part-time. Balakrishnan’s wife Malathi fell sick last week and was admitted to a private hospital in Madurai for treatment. However, she died on November 8th after failing to respond to the treatment. The family took Malathi’s body home in an ambulance and kept it in a refrigerator without even informing her relatives of her death.
Residents of the apartments, who were shocked to learn of the incident, alerted the SS Colony police station. When police arrived and questioned the family, they said that they were keeping the body while they waited for their relatives.
The apartment residents were terrified as the family did not bury the body even after three days, and so they filed another complaint with the police. When the police arrived and warned the family, they threatened to commit suicide if the police tried to enter their home. They locked the house from inside and continued their prayer expecting the women to resurrect.
They agreed to open the door after being persuaded by Malathi’s relatives and a priest from the local church. Later, the body was taken to their native place.
Police investigation revealed that the family kept praying in front of the body, hoping for her to resurrect like Jesus Christ on the third day, and when she did not, they agreed to bury the body.
(with inputs from Polimer News)
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