Bishop arrested
Franco Mulakkal to be produced before magistrate in Kottayam after a medical examination
After three days of questioning, the Kerala Police yesterday arrested Bishop Franco Mulakkal (right), who heads the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, and has been accused of repeatedly raping a nun.
He was taken for medical examination and will be produced before a court today.
This is first time in the country that a bishop has been arrested for rape. Outside India, the Catholic Church is facing sexual abuse scandals in the United States, Chile, Australia and Germany.
After three days of questioning, the Kerala Police yesterday arrested Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who heads the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar and has been accused of repeatedly raping a nun, police said.
This is the first time in the country that a bishop has been arrested for rape. “Given the stature of the accused, the police left nothing to chance before arresting him,” said a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The arrest came after the bishop was questioned for three consecutive days at the Crime Branch office near Tripunithura here. The police will now take Mulakkal, who has maintained he is innocent, for a medical examination and then produce him before a magistrate in Kottayam, as the alleged crime took place in that district.
Mulakkal has been accused of repeatedly sexually abusing the nun between 2014 and 2016. She raised her complaint against him in June.
The news of his arrest was received with slogans shouted at a venue where five nuns have been on indefinite protest along with members of the public for the past 14 days, demanding Mulakkal’s arrest.
“We still can’t believe that he has been arrested. We are overjoyed,” exclaimed a nun.
“We are extremely happy. This happened only because we got the support of the public and also the media,” said another nun.
The arrest became a certainty yesterday morning when a police official visited the victim, staying at a convent near Kottayam, to take her statements for the seventh time since June.
The official took about half-hour and passed on the outcome to the investigation officer who was questioning the bishop.The nuns in Kochi, protesting for the last two weeks, secured widespread support from the civil society.
Like in the past two days, the bishop was accompanied by his counsel and a few priests yesterday as well, as he arrived for questioning under heavy police escort around 10.45am.
Probe on right track
With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the United States for medical treatment, Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan said earlier that the probe was progressing in the right direction.
“The state government has always been with the victim and whosoever does a wrong, will be taken to task,” he said.
Early yesterday, Kottayam Superintendent of Police Hari Sankar met the Inspector General of Police Vijay Sakhre, who is heading the probe team. Now, with the bishop’s arrest, his anticipatory bail plea filed before the Kerala High Court on September 25 has turned infructuous.
An FIR was registered against the bishop and a 114page detailed statement was taken from the nun and other inmates of the convent, giving an unprecedented jolt to the community.