Top police officials are scuttling rape probe: Kerala nuns
Protests against accused Bishop Mulakkal swell after PC George questions missionary’s character
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five nuns, protesting against the alleged rape of a nun from Kottayam, accused top officials in the Kerala police of trying to sabotage the probe on Sunday. The nuns also said they would initiate legal action against independent legislator PC George for alleged use of abusive language against the victim, who has accused a Jalandhar Bishop of rape.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after five nuns of the Missionaries of Jesus Congregation in Kottayam district protested against the delay in justice to a fellow nun who was allegedly raped over two years by a bishop, protests continued to swell across Kerala on Sunday, fuelled especially by a comment made by an MLA against the victim.
On Saturday, independent MLA from Kottayam’s Poonjar constituency, PC George, asked at a media conference why the rape survivor had not complained about the bishop’s alleged crime immediately, and news agencies and TV channels said he had referred to the rape survivor as a “prostitute”.
Outraged by the language used by George against their colleague, the nuns have decided to initiate legal action against him. “We were really shocked to hear this from a lawmaker,” Sister Anupama, one of the nuns from the convent in Kuravilangad, said. As members of various Catholic organisations took to the streets, some even protesting outside Kerala high court, the nuns accused the Kerala police chief of trying to sabotage and delay the probe to protect Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar.
The nun from the Kottayam convent has accused the bishop of raping her at the convent guest house 13 times between May 2014 and September 2016. After her numerous complaints to Church authorities fell on deaf ears, she filed a police complaint in July this year. “We have full faith in the ongoing investigations being carried out by Vaikkom DSP K Subhash. But we suspect DGP Loknath Behra and IG Vijay Sakre are not allowing him to carry out a free and fair investigation,” Sister Anupama told reporters at Kuravilangadu, adding that 75 days had passed since the complaint was filed but nothing had come of it yet.
“The investigating team quizzed the victim at least seven times but the accused was questioned only once. It seems the higher police authorities are quite frightened to touch the bishop,” she alleged, also questioning the silence of Church authorities. “Nobody is with us and our lives are in danger but we will go to any extent for justice,” she added.
DGP Loknath Behra denied any move to delay the case. “At present, there is no move to hand over the probe to any other team. I have directed the IG (Vijay Sakre, Ernakulam Range) to speed up the inquiry,” he said.
On Sunday, the National Commission for Women directed the Kerala DGP to file a case against George for attacking the rape survivor. “It is really shocking that such comments have come from a lawmaker,” NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said.
The Kerala Mahila Federation also lashed out at George, with vice president Indira Raveendran telling ANI: “We all know that this MLA is a controversial figure... immediately a case should be registered against him for abusing womanhood.”
Communist Party of India leader D Raja and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Subhashini Ali have condemned George’s remark. A former high court judge, Kamal Pasha, said the state was witnessing a dirty drama. “It is a shame that these nuns were forced to hit the streets. The DGP says inquiry was in its final stages even after 75 days. If people suspect omissions and commissions, they can’t be blamed,” Pasha said.