Crime branch to investigate case against Kerala priests

Kerala director general of police Loknath Behra on Friday directed the crime branch to investigate allegations of blackmail and sexual assault against five priests of the Malankara Orthodox church.

Ernakulam superintendent of police (crime branch) Sabu Mathew will head the investigation under the supervision of Kochi range inspector general of police S Sreejith.

Although police initially refused to file a case without a complaint, the decision was taken after the National Commission of Women directed the DGP to probe the allegations. Former chief minister VS Achuthanandan also pushed for the filing of a case.

The issue cropped up before the church in mid-May, when a member of the Niranam diocese in Thiruvalla complained that five priests of the church were sexually exploiting his wife for years on the basis of a confession made to one of them.

The man, who’s an NRI, alleged that his wife had an affair with one of the priests before their marriage but the priest continued to exploit her.

On the day of their daughter’s baptism, the wife confessed this before another priest. However, instead of helping her, he allegedly began exploiting her. He later shared the information with three other priests, who also joined in.

The husband said he came to know about the issue when he checked his bank details and chanced upon the transactional details of a hotel booking. He confronted his wife,who broke down and confessed that she was being blackmailed and sexually exploited by the priests.

The issue was initially confined to the diocesan level till an audio clip released by the husband surfaced on the social media and caused immense embarrassment to the church. The husband named the priests – three belonging to the Niranam diocese and one each from Pandalam and Delhi – in the audio clip.

The five priests have already been suspended, and denied the right to discharge duties. The church also welcomed the police’s decision to probe the scandal, and expressed its willingness to cooperate.

Baiju Oommen, a spokesperson of the church, said,“It is a serious issue and we want the truth to come out. We will not protect anyone. We will cooperate with the police,” he added.

Meanwhile, church reformers have reiterated that confessions be scrapped.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ERNAKULAM SP (CRIME BRANCH), SABU MATHEW WILL HEAD THE INVESTIGATION UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF KOCHI RANGE IGP, S SREEJITH