A nun from Kerala has accused a Bishop from Jalandhar of raping her. The accused, Franco Mulakkal, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, is said to have raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and exploited her sexually on several other occasions. The nun has registered a complaint before the Kottayam district Police chief Harishankar on Friday.
“The bishop first filed a complaint with us on June 23. The complaint said that the nun had raised sexual abuse allegations against him after he removed her from an administrative position. Based on his complaint, we have filed a case under Section 295 A – deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting the religious beliefs,” the Vaikkom DySP, who is currently investigating the case, said.
The nun has further alleged that she had approached the Syro-Malabar Church authorities over the matter but no action was taken against the Bishop which made her approach the Police. The Bishop has also registered a complaint against the nun accusing her of blackmailing him after disciplinary action was initiated against her. The Bishop also alleged that the nun’s family had threatened to entrap him in a rape case if he did not withdraw the order against her.
The Syro-Malabar Church has been embroiled in controversies for a while. Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Church, has been accused along with three other of being involved in shady land deals. The same Church, in its doctrinal commission report, had asserted that Yoga wasn’t a way to reach God.