Tensions flared in Muvattupuzha on Sunday after Orthodox and Jacobite priests clashed over control of St John’s Bethlehem Church, forcing police to lock the premises. Kochi: Tensions ran high at Piramadom near Muvattupuzha on Sunday morning after a confrontation broke out between Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian Church factions over the ownership of St John's Bethlehem Church. The dispute erupted when a delegation of Orthodox priests arrived at the premises, citing a favourable ownership verdict from the Muvattupuzha Sub Court. As neither faction agreed to compromise or step back, officers took the precautionary measure of locking up the Church premises. The long-standing feud between the Orthodox and Jacobite factions over church administration and properties has persisted for decades, producing a series of conflicting legal claims and court judgements.