86 days after case lodged, rape accused bishop held
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal was arrested by Kerala police on Friday after being questioned for the third day over allegations that he raped a nun on several occasions between 2014 and 2016, a case that triggered protests by members of the church.
Kottayam superintendent of police S Harishankar said the decision to arrest Mulakkal came after questioning threw up inconsistencies in his statements. “After three days of questioning we found some of the charges against him were right. We need to question him further so we have decided to arrest him,” he said. Investigators met the alleged victim again at her convent on Friday to verify some of the statements of the accused.
The allegations against Mulakkal, 54, were first made three months ago. The delay in his arrest drew criticism from activists and women’s rights group, and nuns from the Congregation of Jesus began a sit-in in Kochi on September 8. This is the first time a Catholic bishop has been arrested in a sexual assault case.
“It is a historic win. It was not a movement against the church but it was move to cleanse the system. It is time for the church to break its silence. We don’t need more Francos,” said Sister Anupama, who had been leading the stir in Kochi. The dharna witnessed jubilant scenes soon after news of Mulakkal’s arrest broke.
They hastened to add that justice would not be done simply because of the arrest. “Clear legal steps should also be taken to deliver justice. Law should take its correct course”, a fellow nun of the survivor nun said.
Pope Francis relieved the bishop of his duties on Thursday and Mumbai auxiliary bishop Agnelo Gracias was given the charge of the Jalandhar diocese which runs more than a hundred institutions.
The bishop first appeared before the police on Wednesday when he was questioned for more than seven hours. After two days of questioning, the bishop was lodged in a five-star hotel in Kochi where visitors were not allowed in at least two floors occupied by his followers.
JALANDHAR : The arrest of bishop Franco Mulakkal for raping a nun got a mixed response here with some members of the Christian community distributing sweets and church representatives saying that the action was taken under pressure.
Kerala Police arrested Mulakkal in Kochi on the third day of questioning on Friday. The development came a day after Pope Francis and the Catholic Bishop Conference of India temporarily relieved Mulakkal of his pastoral responsibilities of the Jalandhar diocese.
Members of the local Punjab Christian Movement gathered outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where the residence of the bishop is located, and distributed sweets to celebrate the arrest. “His actions have hurt the sentiments of our community. The Kerala high court should not give him bail on September 25,” said Hamid Masih, the movement’s president.
Masih alleged that the authorities should probe transaction of funds in the Jalandhar diocese in the past three months. “We suspect he used money for personal purposes,” he said.
Peter Sahota, a member of the Roman Catholic Union, said, “He has been punished for insulting Punjabis. After taking over in 2013, he said Punjabis are not fit to be appointed to the post of bishop. We have been opposing him since then.” Sahota said the bishop appointed for the Jalandhar diocese should be a Punjabi.
The Punjab Christian United Front, however, cited the bishop’s arrest as one made under pressure and condemned the distribution of sweets. “The Kerala police have arrested him due to the pressure of protesting nuns. The police don’t have any evidence,” said front president George Soni. “Distributing sweets is condemned. Even if he is accused of rape, he is still our guru,” he said.
Vijay Goriya, the chairman of the Samson Brigade Christian Youth, Punjab, said the police should make evidence against the bishop public. “If the allegations are proved right, we are ready to boycott him. I don’t believe one who follows this path in our community can do such act,” he said.
Father Peter Kavumpuram, the bishop’s spokesperson, said the police should have waited till the hearing of the bail plea. “Truth will prevail. I’ve heard of fabricated documents being made. Perhaps the police are under pressure,” he said.
Members of the Christian community held a protest outside the church on Friday evening, raising slogans against the Kerala Police.