``I am not in hiding, as such. But I don't want to return to my Dediapada for sometime, at least until the by-elections to the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat (in which his village falls) are over,'' he says.If he does return, he is likely to find the police and BJP workers waiting for him. The former, as Narmada District Superintendent of Police Hasmukh Patel says, to interrogate him on charges of threats to Dediapada Taluka Panchayat chief Shantaben Vasava of the BJP, including the threat to parade her naked in the village.

The latter,to ensure that legal action is taken against him instantly. Taluka BJP treasurer Madhubhai Jain is visibly restrained while talking to this reporter, and says ``Foreigners like Fr Berechi must be interrogated instantly and thrown out of the country, if found guilty''. The priest, he hastens to assure, will not be touched, ``but police and official machinery will be pressed to investigate the case against him thoroughly and instantly''.

In a state where the BJP's writ runs large, that says a lot. As is to be expected, the controversy surrounding Fr Berechi has become fodder for the three main political parties contesting the polls. Rallies have been held both for and against the missionaries working in South Gujarat. If BJP's Jain warns instant interrogation, Janata Dal candidate Chhotubhai Vasava and Congress general secretary (AICC) Ahmed Patel want ``protection to minorities in general and to Fr Berechi in particular''.

The controversy goes back three-odd months and surrounds the work done by Fr Berechiand his two organisations, the Adivasi Samajik Kendra Trust and the Dediapada Social Service Society, which have a combined membership of 5,000 people, mainly tribals. Most of their work is acting as go-betweens for the tribals, who sell milk to the Surat Milk Union (SUMUL).

The Panchayat and some other traders associated with the BJP allege that Fr Berechi indulged in corruption in the name of tribal welfare, by making profits out of this work. He has also been accused of conversion, but this isn't mentioned in the FIR either. Shantaben had submitted several written complaints against his `activities', to the Collector and other Government officials.

Interestingly, when contacted, Narmada District Collector R N Yagnik said he was not aware of any religious activities being carried out by the priest; he spoke only of the social work he had done. Matters came to a head on October 17. ``I was in my office at the Society, when a tribal came to tell me that some people were planning something against me andhad approached police. I went to the nearby police station, where I saw Shantaben and others sitting there. I told the police my version and came back'', Fr Berechi says.

He had been booked under 504 and 506 Sections of the Indian Penal Code and Atrocities Act; his statement was recorded, in which he denied the charges.