Witness in nun rape case found dead, kin suspect foul play

chandigarh — Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, who had given statements against Kerala nun rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district on Monday, police said.

Kattuthara’s family in Kerala suspects foul play.

The Punjab Police said a probe is underway into the 62-year-old priest’s death. “Our team has gone to the spot and is investigating the matter,” a Dasuya police official said.

Police said the body of Kattuthara, a Catholic priest who police said had spoken to them about Bishop Franco Mulakkal, was found in his room at the St. Mary’s Church in Dasuya town, around 180 km from Chandigarh.

Kattuthara had openly given statements against the Mulakkal after the Kerala nun accused the latter of raping her.

Jose Kattuthara, the brother of the deceased, has complained to the police in Alappuzha in Kerala raising suspicion about the circumstances in which the priest was found dead.

“There were no blood marks on his body, and we are investigating the cause of death,” said Achhru Ram, a senior Punjab state police official in the Dasuya region.

The deceased priest’s cousin K. Johnny told the media in Kerala that he got a call from Punjab that Father Kuriakose Kattuthara was not responding to the knocks on his door. “When they forced open the door, he was found dead,” Johnny said, adding that his cousin was not sick. However, he was suffering from lifestyle diseases.

“Ever since he took a position against Bishop Mulakkal, he feared something bad might befall him,” said Johnny.

The deceased priest, in some interviews, had already expressed apprehension about his fate after openly supporting the victim nun and speaking against the bishop.

Mulakkal, bishop of the Diocese of Jalandhar in Punjab, was arrested in the southern state of Kerala last month on charges of raping the nun.

The Kerala nun had accused him of raping her repeatedly over a period of two years. Just before his arrest, the Vatican had accepted a request from the bishop to be temporarily relieved of his pastoral duties.

He is now on bail. Neither Mulakkal nor his lawyers have made any public comment since his arrest though he has denied the charges in media interviews in the past.

He did not immediately respond to email requests seeking comment on Monday.

The diocese of Jalandhar said in a statement on its web site that Mulakkal had expressed sadness over “the sudden demise” of Kattuthara. Kerala police had said earlier that Kattuthara was a prosecution witness who had given them a statement.

Outside India, the Catholic Church is facing sexual abuse scandals in the United States, Chile, Australia, Germany and other countries. —