A bishop of the Protestant Church of North India (CNI) has broken away and declared his diocese autonomous following differences with the church’s national administrative body. Bishop Basil B. Baskey of Chotanagpur Diocese in Jharkhand State was asked to go on leave soon after he announced the rebellious move.

The CNI synod, its top decision-making body, constituted a probe into the bishop’s move to decide what action to take.

“I have already declared the diocese as an autonomous church and have no link with the CNI to follow its order,” Bishop Baskey told UCA News on July 22.

The synod’s disciplinary action against him came on July 21, four days after the bishop declared his diocese independent of the mother church.

The synod has appointed Chotanagpur diocesan secretary pastor Joljas Kujur as diocesan administrator and formed a new committee to assist him until other arrangements are made for the management of the diocese.

Bp Baskey claimed to have the support of all the pastors ser-ving in the diocese’s 52 parishes.