On Sunday7, the 1st of July, the Kerala State Police recorded the statement of a nun who has accused a bishop of sexually assaulting her. The nun claimed that she was raped 13 times by the Bishop.
When the investigation team had questioned her, the nun stood firm in her complaint. Based on her statements recorded in 72 pages, police will have to interrogate the accused, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Jalandhar diocese.
The crisis intensified after the nun reiterated that she had complained to several authorities in the church, including Cardinal George Alencherry. She said she had met the Cardinal and complained to him when he had come to Kuravilangad in 2017. She said that she was asked to present a written complaint which she had given to the cardinal in Kakkanad later. She was accompanied by her relatives when she met him the second time with the letter. She also presented copies of the letter to the investigating team.
The nun was well prepared for the interrogation as she had documented all the details and evidence. She provided the details of the 13 instances when she was allegedly abused by the accused during 2014-16. The team will also interrogate the other residents in the convent near Kuravilangad.
Police have already moved the chief judicial magistrate court in Kottayam to record the statement of the nun under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
READ ALSO: Kerala nun files sexual assault case against Bishop; counter served too
Meanwhile, the Bishop had stated that the nun was making allegations against him for transferring her, and would proceed legally to fight the allegation.
Meanwhile, the investigation team will soon summon Catholic bishop Franco Mulakkal to Kerala for interrogation.
The bishop will be served notice after recording the nun’s statement under CrPC Section 164. The decision came after the team confirmed that as per the convent’s visitors’ book, the bishop stayed there on the days, as alleged in the nun’s complaint.
The bishop will be served notice after recording the nun’s statement under CrPC Section 164. The decision came after the team confirmed that as per the convent’s visitors’ book, the bishop stayed there on the days, as alleged in the nun’s complaint.
The probe team under Vaikom DSP K Subash also recorded the statements of four nuns residing in the convent. The statement of the remaining two will be taken soon. According to Subash, the four nuns came to know about the alleged abuse from the survivor. She had also given the complaint to various church heads, including the cardinal, keeping them informed.
The complaint of the bishop is also being probed together with the nun’s complaint. Based on the bishop’s complaint, police recorded the statement of one person. The Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal George Alencherry, in an official communiqué on Monday, denied receiving any sexual assault complaint against Mulakkal.
Post Your Comments