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Sunni Waqf Board says it ‘does not have an option’ and has to accept the 5 acre land as rejecting it would be ‘contempt of court’

OpIndia Staff
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Sunni Waqf Board says it ‘does not have an option’ and has to accept the 5 acre land as rejecting it would be ‘contempt of court’

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Friday said it does not have the option to reject the land given to it under the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict but will decide on how to use it when it meets on Monday.

According to the reports, UP Sunni Waqf Board Chairman, Zufar Ahmad Farooqui said, “Following the Supreme Court verdict, the Sunni Waqf Board does not have the choice of rejecting the five-acre alternative land for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya as it would amount to contempt of court.”

“We had been saying since the very beginning that we will abide by the court verdict on the issue, and because of this we did not go in for a review of the verdict,” he said. “But on how to use the land given to us by the government, it will be decided at the all-important meeting of the board slated on Monday,” Farooqui said.

Read: Sunni Waqf Board forms Islamic Trust for 5-acre land allotted by UP govt as per Ayodhya verdict, AIMPLB says Waqf Board does not represent all Muslims

Farooqui, however, said that they will decide how to use the land given to the Muslims by the government in an all-important meeting of the board to be held on Monday. He added that the apex court order clearly stated that the Uttar Pradesh government will allot a plot to the board and the board had the liberty to build a mosque and associated amenities on it.

Earlier, the Sunni Waqf Board had announced the formation of an Islamic trust to manage the alternate land allotted to the Board in the historic Ayodhya judgment by the Supreme Court. There were reports that the 5-acre land, which the Sunni Waqf Board was granted by the Supreme Court in the historic Ram Janmabhoomi case, will be run by the trust named ‘Indo Islamic Culture Trust’.

Read: Muslim attempt to teach Sanatan Dharma to Sanatanis falls flat, Ayodhya admin says no Kabristan in Ram Janmabhoomi land

The waqf board said that the Islamic trust will promote Islamic culture in India and outside as well and also carry out programs reconciling both the communities in India.

The decision by the Sunni Waqf Board has been taken after the UP government had announced the allotment of 5-acres of land to the board as per SC order. The plot is located in Dhannipur village in Sohawal Tehsil in Ayodhya, which is around 18 km away from the district headquarters and located on the Lucknow highway.

In a historic judgment on November 9, the Supreme Court had established that the Hindus have a right on the entire 67-acre Ram Janmabhoomi and ordered the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It had also granted an alternate 5-acre land to the Muslims to build their Masjid in the Hindu holy town.

Read: Dharma, Deva, Desha: Three phases of Ram Janmabhoomi movement, who decided Babri Masjid had to go and day of reckoning

Following the judgement of the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in Lok Sabha that the Cabinet has cleared the trust that will manage the 67 acre land in Ayodhya where the Grand Ram Mandir will be built.

“We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called ‘Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra’, PM said.

He had also declared that the UP government has agreed to give the 5-acre land to Sunni Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya Matter.

Ex Mumbai cop Rakesh Maria had asked Mahesh Bhatt to inform Gulshan Kumar about assassination plot before the murder

OpIndia Staff
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Ex Mumbai cop Rakesh Maria had asked Mahesh Bhatt to inform Gulshan Kumar about assassination plot before the murder

Rakesh Maria, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, has made shocking disclosures on the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar. In his book, Rakesh Maria has alleged that Mumbai police had detailed intelligence on a conspiracy to assassinate Gulshan Kumar but the appearance of the UP Police upset the operation.

In his new memoir, Let Me Say It Now, Maria has revealed that the Mumbai Police were aware of the name of the underworld don, whose gang was tasked to murder Gulshan Kumar. However, they still could not avert the killing of the founder of the T-Series.

In the early hours of April 22, 1997, Maria received a call, “Sir, Gulshan Kumar ka wicket girne wala hai (Sir, Gulshan Kumar is about to be killed),” the person on the other end informed. “Who is the wicket-taker,” asked Maria.

“Abu Salem, saab. Usne apne shooters ke saath sab plan nakki kiya hai. Gulshan Kumar roz subah gharse nikalke pehle ek Shiv mandir jata hai. Wahin pe kaam khatam karne wale hain. (Abu Salem is the one planning to kill Gulshan Kumar. He has finalised the plan with his shooters. The first thing that Gulshan Kumar does every morning after leaving home is to visit a nearby Shiv temple. That is where they are going to bump him off),” the informant said.

Read: Tulsidas wrote Hanuman Chalisa, but do you know who composed its popular music?

Rakesh Maria writes that he immediately telephoned film producer-director Mahesh Bhatt and enquired from him whether he knew Gulshan Kumar. The former Mumbai police commissioner also asked Bhatt if he was aware that Gulshan Kumar visited a Shiv temple every morning.

In his book, Maria mentioned that he even apprised Mahesh Bhatt of the reason he was asking. After some time, Mahesh Bhatt called him back and confirmed the information.

“Then I told Bhatt I would be briefing the Crime Branch and he must tell Gulshan Kumar not to stir out of the house till the Crime Branch had got in touch with him and made arrangements for his safety,” wrote Maria, who was the then Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order, and Crime) as a Staff Officer to the DGP, Arvind Inamdar.

Maria writes that he then called up the Crime Branch and gave them the details furnished by his informant. “The Crime Branch then extended the requisite protection to Gulshan Kumar. Therefore, it came as a big shock to me when on 12 August 1997, I received a call that conveyed the news of Gulshan Kumar’s murder, in the manner that it had been described,” mentioned Maria in his book.

Read: Kasab had Hindu ID on him, ISI and Lashkar wanted him to die as “Samir Chaudhary”: Ex Mumbai top cop makes stunning revelations in his book

Following the murder of Gulshan Kumar, the later investigation revealed that Gulshan Kumar was being provided security by a contingent of the Uttar Pradesh Police as he owned a cassette factory in Noida. Therefore, the security provided by the Mumbai Police was withdrawn.

“Somewhere down the line, routine and apathy could have set in, as it often happens in prolonged watch and ward duties,” wrote Maria.

On August 12, 1997, Gulshan Kumar was shot dead as he came out of a Shiva temple in Mumbai’s Andheri area.

In his new book, Rakesh Maria has made startling revelations, which has now stoked huge political controversies. The new disclosures have caused massive embarrassment for the Congress party.

The former Mumbai top cop has revealed that 26/11 terror attack convict Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab would have died as Bengaluru resident ‘Samir Dinesh Chaudhari’, with a ‘Kalava’ (Hindu sacred thread) tied around his wrist”, had the Lashkar-e-Taiba succeeded in its plans to pin the blame on Hindu extremists.

“There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and there he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan,” he writes in his book.

Hyderabad University imposes Rs 5000 fine on students for violating varsity rules, organising ‘Shaheen Bagh night’

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad University imposes Rs 5000 fine on students for violating varsity rules, organising ‘Shaheen Bagh night’

The University of Hyderabad on Tuesday penalised three students for violating the varsity rules to organise an anti-CAA protest similar to ‘Shaheen Bagh’ on the campus. The university has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on all the three students.

According to the reports, the students of the University of Hyderabad had organised the ‘Shaheen Bagh night’ after the permitted hours of 9 pm and were also involved in painting graffiti on the walls of the north shopping complex on the campus. The action comes after an incident report was filed by the Security Officer.

The varsity administration issued the orders to PhD students Faseeh Ahmed, Sahana Pradeep and MA Student AS Adish. According to university rules, there is no permission to conduct any event after 9 pm on the campus.

The order, issued on February 18, has asked all three students to submit the penalty to the Gurubaksh Singh Students Assistance Fund in Finance and Accounts within 10 days of notice.

Read: Watch: Muslim teacher from Saharanpur goes on a toxic rant at Shaheen Bagh, gets suspended by school authorities

“The students are sternly warned to be cautious and focus on their studies in future. Recurrence of such incidents or indulging in any act of indiscipline would have serious repercussions on their academic career with strong disciplinary action,” the order said.

Condemning the university’s decision, the students union in a statement said the order or circular was arbitrary and they would not follow it and demanded that the fine imposed be withdrawn unconditionally.

A spokesperson of the University said the institution recognises the right of recognised student bodies to organise meetings or protests, in designated spaces without disrupting normal academic, administrative and residential life of a large number of teaching and non-teaching staff and their families who live on the campus.

“It is in that context that three students were fined for violating standing regulations of the University that no meetings and protests would be permitted in public spaces of the campus after 9 pm,” the varsity official said.

Read: He was talking about Shaheen Bagh, he said ‘this country is going to burn’: Cab driver who drove ‘Lal Salaam’ communist to police

Another official speaking to the media said that there was enough photographic and video evidence to prove that these students “blatantly refused” to abide by the regulations on defacing of campus structures. The official also hoped that all students will abide by some basic institutional norms and make the campus space for healthy, democratic debates and discussions.

Sri Lanka mulls ban on Burqa, special report on security says police should have right to ask that Burqa be removed to establish identity

OpIndia Staff
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Sri Lanka mulls ban on Burqa, special report on security says police should have right to ask that Burqa be removed to establish identity

In order to curb the menace radical Islamic terrorism, a parliamentary committee of Sri Lanka on national security has proposed an immediate ban on the burqa and suspending the registration of political parties which are formed on an ethnic and religious basis, following the Easter Sunday terror attack that killed over 250 people, reports The Hindu.

The proposals to ban controversial Islamic attire – Burqa was featured in a special report presented to Parliament on Thursday in an attempt to resolve 14 controversial issues following the April 2019 Easter Attack. The report was tabled by MP Malith Jayatilaka, the Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security.

The report further mentioned that a number of countries have already banned the burqa. It also proposed that the police should have the powers to ask anyone with face covering to take off such clothing to establish the identity of the person.

Read: Indian High commission was a potential target in Easter Sunday attack: Sri Lankan Parliament committee report

If such a request was not complied with, the police should have the power to arrest the individual without a warrant, the report added.

It also recommended the island nation’s Election Commission to enact legislation to suspend the registration of political parties on an ethnic and religious basis. The Sri Lankan parliamentary committee recommended that if a political party has “some racial or religious conflict” then it be converted to non-religious party within a stipulated period.

Read: 600 foreigners including 200 Islamic clerics expelled from Sri Lanka, visa restrictions on religious preachers tightened

Another proposal in the report said that all students studying in madrasas should be absorbed into the normal school system under the Ministry of Education within three years.

Of the country’s 21 million people, Muslims form around 10% constitutes Sri Lanka’s population. However, only a small percentage of Muslim women wear the niqab or burqa.

After the Easter Sunday bombings, the then President Maithripala Sirsena had evoked emergency powers to ban all forms of face-covering garments stating it
“hinders identification”.

Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg had once boasted about arranging dates for his teenaged “tall, busty and blonde” daughter in every Chinese city they visited

OpIndia Staff
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Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg had once boasted about arranging dates for his teenaged “tall, busty and blonde” daughter in every Chinese city they visited

As the United States of America gears up for its upcoming Presidential elections slated in November 2020, an old report from the year 1999 has resurfaced which might bring in embarrassment for Michael Bloomberg, the former New York Mayor and a late entrant into the 2020 Democratic race.

The report claims that Bloomberg, who is allegedly known for his sexist and misogynistic comments about women had once made a sexualized comment about his daughter too. Describing his then 16-year-old teenage daughter as “busty and blonde”, he had said he had arranged dates for her in every city in China during a visit to the country.

The report published in a Wired magazine in 1999, had quoted Bloomberg as saying: “My daughter is tall and busty and blonde. We went to China together. And what’s a 16-year-old going to do on a business trip? So I got her dates in every city in China.”

Bloomberg had allegedly made the comment while attending an alumni dinner at the Hilton hotel in New York in the year 1999 where he was the keynote speaker. Although he had followed it with saying that it is off the record, Journalist David S. Bennahum had published the comment in a profile of Bloomberg published in Wired.

The quotes were shared in a tweet by Twitter user @Andipalmur on Wednesday night shortly before Bloomberg made his debut on the Democratic primary debate stage in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Twitter user linking the Wired article captioned his Tweet as: “Normal guy Mike Bloomberg likes to get his “busty” daughter laid on business trips, off the record”.


The Democratic candidate’s past comments have seemingly come back to haunt his presidential campaign, as others on the debate stage took him to task for other alleged remarks he made about women in the past. During a debate, senator Elizabeth Warren, his fellow presidential candidate had hit out at Bloomberg for his history of misogyny.

Read- Democrat Nancy Pelosi suffers a meltdown, tears copy of US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech

“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women ‘fat broads’ and ‘horse-faced lesbians’,” Sen. Warren said. “And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.” Warren called out Bloomberg for two scathing comments about women.

She also brought up the non-disclosure agreements Bloomberg infamously had his employees to sign which allegedly prevented women from speaking out about the inner-workings of the company.

According to reports, nearly 40 sex discrimination and sexual harassment cases have been brought against Bloomberg and his organizations by 64 women over the past several decades.

Bloomberg once described his life as a single billionaire bachelor in New York City to a reporter as being a “wet dream.” “I like theatre, dining and chasing women,” he said. On a radio show in 2003, he had said that he would “really want to have” Jennifer Lopez, which he later explained away as wanting to “have dinner” with her.  Moreover, a top aide had once said Bloomberg frequently remarked “nice tits” upon seeing attractive women.

His employees in 1990 had put together an entire booklet of some of his more egregious comments, including: “If women wanted to be appreciated for their brains, they’d go to the library instead of to Bloomingdale’s,” and, of the computer terminal that made him a billionaire, “It will do everything, including give you [oral sex]. I guess that puts a lot of you girls out of business.”

In a 2013 New York Magazine story on Christine Quinn, who was a New York City mayoral candidate at the time, the reporter recounts an interaction with Bloomberg at a Christmas party where Bloomberg gestured to a woman in attendance and made the comment, “look at the ass on her.”

Bloomberg served as New York City’s mayor from 2002 to 2013 and is the co-founder, CEO, and owner of Bloomberg L.P., a privately-held financial, software, data, and media company. Bloomberg made a late entry into the 2020 Democratic race in November 2019.

Such people should be discouraged, must not be given importance: Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Asaduddin Owaisi and Waris Pathan

OpIndia Staff
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Such people should be discouraged, must not be given importance: Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Asaduddin Owaisi and Waris Pathan

Union Minister and BJP MP Mahendra Nath Pandey on Friday said that the people like AIMIM leaders Waris Pathan and Asaduddin Owaisi shouldn’t be given much importance.

While speaking to ANI, Mahendra Nath Pandey said, “Much importance must not be given to a leader, who is influential in a small part of the city. The reason being it sends a wrong message to youth.”

“Such people should be discouraged and media must not pay attention to such people”, Mahendra Nath Pandey said on Waris Pathan.

AIMIM’s Waris Pathan was seen inciting Muslims in an anti-CAA rally in Gulbarga Karnataka last week, that too in presence of AIMIM Chief Assaduddin Owaisi Threatening Hindus, Pathan had said, “We are 15 crores but be aware we can still dominate over 100 crore Hindus and imagine what we can do to you.”

In a threatening voice, Waris Pathan had added, “We need to work together, we need to snatch our Azadi. Time has now come to achieve Azadi, if we cannot achieve it, we should snatch it. They were mocking us for hiding behind women (during anti-CAA protests). Do not forget, these are lionesses who have come out yet and you are already afraid of these women. Be aware and know what happens if we all (Muslims) unite together.”

Ever since the enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act, AIMIM party and its leadership, especially Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has been indulging in fear-mongering about the new law along with the proposed NRC and NPR to continue fuelling misgivings about them amongst the Muslims.

Earlier this month, Owaisi had said that Shaheen Bagh may be turned into ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ after February 8, after Delhi elections are concluded. Likening protests against Citizenship Amendment Act to ‘jihad’, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had said that those who raise their voice against PM Modi and HM Amit Shah are real ‘mard-e-mujahid’.

Akbarudding Owaisi, the brother of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had delivered hate speech in 2013, where he had threatened Hindus with genocide. “We (Muslims) will finish 100 crores Hindus if you remove police across the country for just 15 minutes,” the younger Owaisi had said.

California court issues restraining order against an Indian origin man for stalking Apple CEO Tim Cook

OpIndia Staff
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California court issues restraining order against an Indian origin man for stalking Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been granted a restraining order against a San Francisco resident of Indian origin who is alleged to be stalking him.

According to reports, a man named Rakesh “Rocky” Sharma allegedly showed up at Cook’s home with Champagne and flowers. He returned a month later, entering the property’s gate without permission and ringing the doorbell. He also made phone calls to Tim and sent him messages on social media sites.

The interactions including phone calls, described by Apple as “threatening statements”, led the company to request a restraining order this month against the San Francisco resident Rakesh Sharma (41). A California court accepted the request and issued a restraining order against Sharma.

Sharma is ordered to stay away from Tim Cook’s residence in Silicon Valley, as well as the company’s Apple Park headquarters and Cook’s three security guards. The restraining order will continue until the hearing in the case which is scheduled for March.

Read- Tim Cook takes a jibe at Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal, Mark Zuckerberg ‘bans’ iPhones for his employees

As per William Burns, the security specialist of Tim Cook, Sharma’s harassment began on 25 September 2019 when he left a disturbing voicemail on Apple’s CEO phone. Burns alleged that Sharma made another unsettling call a week later and after that, his behaviour escalated, he attempted “to stalk Apple CEO by physically trespassing on the CEO’s personal property” on two separate occasions.

The court filing also alleged, that in another trespassing stance, Sharma entered Cook’s property through a closed gate without permission at around 10:30 p.m. on December 4 in an effort to deliver the flowers and champagne.

“Sharma continued to tag the Apple CEO on his twitter handle, which included sexualized and inappropriate pictures of Mr. Sharma with reference to Tim Cook,” the court filing said. “Shortly thereafter, Mr. Sharma continued to tag the Apple executive on his Twitter account, which included sexualized and inappropriate photos of Mr. Sharma with reference to the Apple executive,” the document said.

Sharma also issued threatening messages to Tim Cook in a video he had posted on Twitter. He said, “Hey Tim Cook, you have serious issues at your brand. You need to leave the Bay Area. Basically, I’m shooing you out. Shoo, Tim Cook, out of the Bay Area.”

‘Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan will break this country’: Yogendra Yadav makes controversial remarks

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan will break this country’: Yogendra Yadav makes controversial remarks

Self-proclaimed activist and psephologist, Yogendra Yadav has stirred yet another controversy when he accused Hindus of tearing apart the country. At an event which was also attended by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Yogendra Yadav claimed that Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan will break the nation.


In a sweeping generalisation, Yadav asserted that Hindus in the country will be responsible for the impending division of the nation. “India will not be made by Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan. In fact, Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan will break the country. Today, that is being attempted and therefore mother-tongue will have to stand up, words will have to hold up,” Yadav said.

Yadav was not the only one to propagate the Hinduphobic assertion that the nation will be broken apart by Hindi, Hindus and the Hindu idea of India (Hindustan). Eloquent Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took up the cudgel for Yadav, defending his controversial anti-Hindu remarks. Tharoor claimed that he echoed the same thoughts on Twitter which Yadav has spoken at the event. Declaring Yadav as spot-on, Tharoor stated that “the quest illusory homogeneity (at the expense of our actual linguistic, religious & cultural diversity) will destroy our unity”.


However, this is not the first time that Yogendra Yadav has expressed his subterranean contempt and disdain for Hindus of the country. Days ahead of the much-awaited Ram Mandir verdict, Yadav had penned a misbegotten piece in the Print, asserting that a judgment in favour of Ram Mandir will be essentially anti-minority and would test the secular politics in India.

Similarly, there have been umpteen instances when Tharoor had been accused of pushing anti-Hindu propaganda. Earlier, Tharoor had demonised Hinduism by drawing a false equivalence with Abrahamic faiths-Christianity and Islam. Tharoor also made a controversial statement against PM Modi when he said Modi is like a “Scorpion on a Shivling”, cannot be hit with a chappal. The comment invited a lawsuit against the Congress MP for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Watch: This Pune aunty scolding bikers riding on footpath is winning the Internet

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: This Pune aunty scolding bikers riding on footpath is winning the Internet

Misuse of footpaths by errant two-wheeler riders is a common problem in Pune, like most cities in India. The two-wheeler riders often use sidewalks as a convenient shortcut to beat the traffic as the roads remain chock-a-block with vehicles. Today a middle-aged woman took the initiative to deal with such scofflaws, refraining them from using spaces meant for pedestrians.

In a video which has gone viral on Twitter, a middle-aged lady is seen standing on the pavement and stopping the bikers from passing through the footpath to avoid a traffic jam. Though she is inaudible in the video shared on Twitter, it is evident that she lectures the bikers trying to flout traffic rules.

She is later joined by two other senior citizens. All three are seen standing on the pavement blocking the way and coercing the bikers to use the road instead.

Netizens seem to have fallen in love with this Pune aunty for her efforts. While many took to the microblogging site to hail her, some also pointed out Pune Police’s callousness in dealing with this menace.


Illegal parking on footpaths to riding on the wrong side and on pavements, rampant traffic rule violations have been a consistent problem in many cities in the country especially Pune. To deal with this menace, the Pune traffic police have adopted various measures. In one such attempt, it had got big cement blocks fixed on the footpath near Surymukhi Chauk on way to Khaire Wadi in Pune last year, so that the footpahts can’t be used by two wheeler riders.


According to recent research published under the US-based organisation, National bureau of economic research (NBER), Pune is the seventh most congested city in India. Moreover, the TomTom Traffic Index had last year kept Pune at number five in the global ranks in congestion levels.

Read- Gadkari has shown a mirror to We-the-Dodgers of traffic rules

It is widely believed that Pune has its unique traffic issues as it is alleged that Punekars do not have traffic sense. In fact, this has also been the butt of jokes on Twitter in the past.


In 2018, the Pune traffic police in its effort to inculcate some traffic discipline in locals had zeroed in on issuing witty and humourous yet effective messages on the lines of the famous ‘Puneri Patya’ to bring about some traffic sense.

Another nun accuses rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of sexual abuse, did not register complaint due to fear

OpIndia Staff
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Another nun accuses rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of sexual abuse, did not register complaint due to fear

A second nun has accused disgraced rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of sexual abuse. The second victim is a witness in the ongoing rape case against the Christian priest. As per reports, the latest victim had narrated her ordeal to the Police in September 2018, however, she was unwilling to register a complaint about the matter because she was afraid. As a consequence, a second case wasn’t registered against the Bishop.

The police have said that they have received the statement of another nun against the Bishop. The nun has alleged that the Bishop made sexual remarks and lewd comments in a telephonic conversation with her. The nun says that they were in telephonic conversation for a period of two years between 2015 and 2017.

She had said in her statement that in 2017, Mulakkal visited the convent she was in and then proceeded to grab her and kiss her. The nun has also alleged that she was forced to display her body by the Bishop. The nun’s statements have been recorded in the charge sheet against the Bishop. However, a separate complaint could not be filed in the matter. The nun said that she was not interested in the sexually explicit chat but could not oppose the Bishop due to fear of expulsion from the Church.

“I had to contact the bishop over the phone for some official needs since 2015. But, shortly after the bishop started talks with sexual connotations over the phone, which was disgusting for me. He also talked about sexual acts and later started describing various body parts of me and the bishop,” the statement said. “Between April and May 2017, I lived in a convent in Kerala. Franco came to the convent to conduct a probe about my conduct. His driver and Father Antony were with the bishop but they lived in separate rooms. Franco called me to his room and asked me for an explanation. While I was leaving, he hugged me and kissed me on my forehead,” she stated.

Read- Bishop Franco case: Sister Lucy’s autobiography recounts rampant sexual abuse in churches, reveals ‘unholy’ practices of priests

The second nun’s statement was released by the Save Our Sisters (SOS) forum. They have now demanded that a separate case be registered against the Bishop. “It is mysterious that police didn’t initiate suo moto case even after nun had made a serious deposition before the investigation team. A fresh investigation should be launched into the allegation. More importantly, police should ensure that the victim, who belongs to the same diocese, is not intimidated or influenced by the bishop,” SOS office-bearers said in a press release.

SOS has also claimed that after the second nun gave the statement, the convent made a concerted attempt to silence her by not allowing her to leave the convent or talk to anyone outside. “After the nun gave this statement, the convent tried to silence her by not allowing her to leave the convent or talk to anyone outside. It was only recently that we got to know about the treatment meted out to her by the convent authorities. That is why we decided to release the statement she gave the police in 2018. This is a statement that she has signed,” Riju Kanjoorkaran, a convener of SOS, told The News Minute.

There have been regular attempts to silence the nuns who have spoken out against Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Sister Lucy Kalapura, one of the five nuns who stood in support of the nun who accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal in the rape case, said last month that she was being starved at the convent as authorities have been depriving her of food to force her out of the church.

Read- The sordid and shameful whitewashing of rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal

Four nuns who had supported the rape survivor nun were asked to leave the Kuravilangad convent, and go to convents, previously assigned to them. Apart from threats and intimidation, Father Kuriakose who had testified against Bishop Franco was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

The allegations against Bishop Franco Mulakkal surfaced after a nun from Kerala had accused the Bishop from Jalandhar of raping her. Bishop Franco Mulakkal 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 had registered a complaint before the Kottayam district Police chief Harishankar in June 2018.

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