As part of the ongoing investigation in the ISIS-inspired terror module busted in December last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today raided seven places in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
As per reports, Punjab has surfaced for the first time in the investigation as earlier the raids were conducted in Uttar Pradesh and in NCR region. On 12th January, the NIA had made a fresh arrest from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad and conducted raids in several UP towns like Hapur, Meerut and Ghaziabad. The agency had found that the founder of the module Mufti Mohammad Suhail alias Hazrath had travelled to Tral, Rajouri and Bandipora in Kashmir twice last year. According to the agency, Hazrath travelled to these places to seek arms training from a Pakistani trained Mujahideen (terrorist).
The information was given to the NIA by Suhail’s close aid Saqib Iftekar during interrogation. Iftekar who used to work as an Imam at Jama Masjid in Baksar, Uttar Pradesh allegedly helped the module in procuring weapons to carry out attacks in North India. Saqib is reported to have travelled to South Kashmir in May and August last year and had several meetings for religious purposes in Rajouri and Bandipora.
In the raid carried out in December, college students, maulvi, rickshaw driver were found to be among those recruited by the ISIS-inspired module. The NIA had said that their level of preparedness suggests they wanted to carry out explosions in near future by remote control blasts and fidayeen attacks. He added that this is a new ISIS-inspired terror-module and they were in touch with a foreign agent. During the raids a total amount of Rs. 7.5 lakh, 100 mobile phones and 135 sim cards were recovered along with laptops.
Senior journalist J Gopikrishnan of The Pioneer has written to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi asking for the suspension of the senior advocate designations of former UPA minister P Chidambaram and his wife Nalini Chidambaram in the Supreme Court, reported Bar and Bench.
Filed a complaint to Chief Justice of India regarding misuse of Senior Advocate Designation by Mr&Mrs. Chidambaram, seeking suspension of Senior Advocate title, citing that they are now Accused in many cases.Also sought yearly monitoring of Senior Advocate title holding persons https://t.co/ik4JE3c8pU
Congress leader P Chidambaram and his wife are accused of various financial irregularities and are under probe by agencies like the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Along with the husband-wife duo, their son Karti Chidambaram is also accused in cases of black money, corruption and money laundering.
J Gopikrishnan, in his two-page letter to the Chief Justice, has accused P Chidambaram of ‘clearly misusing the position’ despite being an accused of corruption and money laundering cases. In his letter, he says, Congress leader P Chidambaram appeared in cases before trial courts in his Senior Advocate attire while his lawyers, Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued for his bail, which is a “clear misuse of holding Senior Advocate Designation” by an accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
He further alleges that P Chidambaram “appears to get undue advantages from the 2G trial Court”, saying that he was given interim protection by the trial court Judge OP Saini despite the Supreme Court directing the CBI and ED to conclude the probe into the Aircel-Maxis within six months.
The letter also adds the manner in which Chidambaram has managed to secure interim protection from arrest as many as seven times from Judge Saini after being present at the bail hearings in his Senior gown. Chidambaram has also been granted interim protection from the Delhi High Court in the INX Media Bribery case.
Gopikrishnan, in his letter, has alleged that investigating agencies and judges cannot work freely when one of the accused is a Senior Advocate, “How can Investigating agencies and Judges work freely when an Accused is a Senior Advocate title holding person?” said the senior journalist.
The letter also cited the instance of Chidambaram’s wife, Nalini Chidambaram, managing to obtain interim protection from arrest from the Madras High Court on a second Saturday, while she was charge-sheeted by a trial court in Kolkata. The HC bench headed by Justice Ilanthirayan even allowed her to appear before a Chennai court to seek bail. Nalini Chidambaram was allowed bail and interim protection from arrest for 15 days by the evening. Gopikrishnan questions the CJI whether such benevolence from the courts can be expected for common citizens.
Gopikrishnan has requested CJI Gogoi to suspend the Senior Advocate designation to both P Chidambaram and Nalini Chidambaram until the trials against them have concluded. He has also requested the CJI to consider the implementation of an annual affidavit to be filed by all Senior Advocates disclosing cases against them.
P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram are accused in the INX Media scam which involves charges of bribery and lobbying in granting foreign investments worth Rs 300 crores to INX Media. Meanwhile, the CBI and other agencies are also probing a similar case involving Chidambaram and his son, the Aircel-Maxis scam. The CBI is probing alleged irregularities in grant of FIPB approval in Aircel-Maxis deal, while the ED is probing alleged money-laundering related to the deal.
Meanwhile, Nalini Chidambaram has been accused of receiving Rs 1.4 crore from Sudipta Sen, the prime accused in the Saradha chit fund scam. The CBI alleges that Nalini Chidambaram conspired with Sudipta Sen with an intention of cheating and misappropriation of funds between 2010 to 2014. The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a charge-sheet against Nalini Chidambaram in a Kolkata court.
A man has been arrested for raping a pregnant goat under the influence of alcohol. The incident took place in Parsa Bazaar in rural Patna on Tuesday evening. As per reports, a probe has been launched after the goat’s owner claimed that her pregnant goat was raped by one Mohammed Simraj, who later confessed to his crime. A case has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1971.
Mohammed reportedly consumed alcohol before he abducted the three-month pregnant goat from outside her owner’s residence. He then allegedly raped the goat which led to her death. The goat’s dead body was found outside her owner’s house later in the day. The goat’s body has been sent for postmortem.
As per reports, the woman has claimed that many people witnessed the crime. Apart from investigating the alleged goat rape, the Police are also investigating how the man got his hands on alcohol considering Bihar is a dry state.
This incident comes months after a pregnant goat was gang-raped in Haryana’s Mewat region. As per the report, the eight accused who were believed to drug addicts and alcoholics, raped the goat in a deserted house, following which she died. In another barbaric act, a pregnant cow was raped in Andhra Pradesh. The three-month pregnant cow was found tied to a tree with blood oozing from her genitals. Prior to that, another cow was raped by an elderly man named Chhotu Khan in Madhya Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, too, one Arif was arrested for allegedly raping a four-month-old calf.
On 16th January 2019, Amit Shah, the President of BJP took to Twitter to inform his followers that he got taken ill with swine flu. He said his treatment was under way and he would be fine soon. He thanked everyone for their love and best wishes.
मुझे स्वाइन फ्लू हुआ है, जिसका उपचार चल रहा है। ईश्वर की कृपा, आप सभी के प्रेम और शुभकामनाओं से शीघ्र ही स्वस्थ हो जाऊंगा।
It was reported that Shah had been admitted to AIIMS for treatment and would be fine. However, as soon as the news of the diagnosis emerged, some journalists and trolls decided to cross all limits of human decency to wish death upon Amit Shah and celebrate the illness.
The Quint journalist, Stutee Mishra took to Twitter to ask whether “people die from Swine Flu”.
The Quint journalist’s tweet
The Tweet was later deleted by Stutee Mishra. The Quint issued an “apology” and said that they would take appropriate action against the journalist.
An insensitive tweet by Stuti Mishra, an employee of The Quint has been brought to our notice. The Quint strongly condemns any such statement. Due action will be taken. The entire Quint team wishes BJP President, Shri Amit Shah, a speedy recovery.
Stutee was not the only one to be in a celebratory mood after Amit Shah had taken ill. NDTV, notorious for its fake news and hateful journalists was also the culprit. NDTV journalist cum troll, Sunetra Chowdhury had a few years ago in 2009 had expressed glee when Narendra Modi had been diagnosed with Swine Flu.
Sunetra Chowdhury’s tweet from 2009
Yesterday, after news of Amit Shah ailing from Swine Flu surfaced, the NDTV troll took to Twitter to express her happiness again.
She was joined in her “celebration” by another journalist, Maya Mirchandani, who used to work at NDTV who now works with the leftist propaganda website, The Wire.
While these very “journalists” have pretended to be “neutral”, their glee when the President of BJP falls ill betrays their stand. The Media has traditionally been anti-BJP, but has often worn the cloak of neutrality to mask their hatred and bias and it is at such times that their masks slip, giving a glimpse into their real political agenda.
This is not the first time that “journalists” have gotten together to wish death upon the ones they don’t agree with politically.
Earlier as well, a journalist associated with The Quint, Suprateek Chaterjee, had tweeted that he was happy to know that Prime Minister Modi was one year closer to death. Incidentally, it was just past PM’s birthday for him when he tweeted, as the Modi hater was in US when he expressed his desire to see Modi dead. He was a repeat ofender and had brazened it out when The Quint disassociated themselves from him.
Even a Times Now journalist had waited for Modi to be assassinated, and another columnist with The Quint wanted Modi to be shot dead.
A Kashmiri boy from Ganderbal who had left home to join terrorism returned to his family after Jammu and Kashmir police counselled him and convinced him to come back.
Jammu and Kashmir Police successfully counselled and brought back a boy from Ganderbal to mainstream who had left his home intending to join militancy. pic.twitter.com/pZwvryvHbD
Mohammed Ashraf Sofi had reportedly ran away from home to join terrorism in order to take revenge on a revenue officer. According to Mohammed Poswal, SSP of Ganderbal Khail, the boy had revealed that his father had purchased some land from a migrant family about 10 years ago but he could not take possession of the land. His family had taken the case to the revenue court and was able to get directions regarding possession from FC Revenue.
The family received another shock when the boy’s father died four days ago due to illness while the land dispute was still pending. The boy was disturbed by his father’s death and the delay in settling the dispute. He wanted to take revenge from the revenue authorities and especially the Tehsildar of Ganderbal.
The police traced the location of the boy after he ran away. The police rushed to the location and convinced the boy to return home assuring him that the dispute will be resolved by the revenue authorities at the earliest. The boy was handed over to his family.
The Jadavpur University professor, who in a Facebook post, compared a virgin girl to a sealed bottle, has been removed from his duties with immediate effect.
The outrageous comment posted on Facebook on Sunday created a commotion on social media and the entire scholastic community, which cost the professor his job. As per reports, the professor has been divested on his duties. Though the professor was quick to delete the flippant comments from his facebook wall, screenshots of it went viral.
Sarkar who has earlier too, on several occasions, written such misogynist posts on his Facebook page, had recently created a furore as he compared a woman’s virginity to a sealed bottle or packet in his series, titled, “Value Oriented Social Counselling for Educated Youth”.
The professor, in his post, wrote: “Are you willing to buy a broken seal while purchasing a bottle of cold drink or a packet of biscuits? It is the same case with your wife.
Screenshot of Professor Kanak Sarkar’s virginity post. Courtesy: HuffPost India
“A girl is biologically sealed from birth until it is opened. A virgin girl means many things accompanied as values, culture, sexual hygiene. To most boys, virgin wife is like angel,” Sarkar wrote.
The University issued a notice which read, ‘In view of the recommendations of the Student-Teacher Committee of the Department, Prof Sarkar has been divested of his teaching duties with immediate effect’
Jadavpur University professor Kanak Sarkar who made controversial remarks in a Facebook post has been divested of his duties with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/OlmdshSSUI
The notification came in two days after the Jadavpur University (JU) Arts Faculty Students Union and Students’ Federation of India submitted memorandums to JU Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das, demanding strict action against Sarkar.
Previously, Sarkar had on November 9, posted another such sexist remark on Facebook, exposing his flimsy state of mind. In his post, he mentioned that these days, boys and girls do not consider celibacy and virginity as part of ethics and morality. That is why girls end up being “exploited by the cunning boys”.
Similarly, on December 22, he had written a Facebook post in which he described virginity as precious as honesty and morality by saying that if a woman is a virgin before her wedding, she should be proud of it. “Express your virginity during marriage negotiation or during love affair or even in married life. I am sure you will be honoured by your husband or lover,” Sarkar said.
After his outrageous remarks caught attention, a student of his department opened up, alleging that “during classes, he had created an uncomfortable situation for women students. We don’t feel secure in his presence in the department,” she said.
Another enraged student, Roshni Chakraborty, while speaking to a media house, narrated her ordeal against the professor. She accused Sarkar of asking her whether she would be interested in bathing with him in any river. She furthered that at the time when Sarkar made this outrageous pass at her she was too young to understand that it counts as harassment, but now she would stand up against the injustice by boycotting his classes, said the infuriated student.
Kanak Sarkar in his defence said that “It is their democratic right to submit a memorandum against me to the authorities. But, I should be allowed to explain my stand.” He furthered that it was intended for “fun” among a social media group of friends and “not for public consumption”.
“Someone took a screenshot of the post and forwarded it, which triggered the response. I did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment or insult any woman,” he said. He also said according to a Supreme Court order every individual is entitled to express his opinion.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of the lewd remarks meted out by the professor and has sought police action against the same.
Rekha Sharma, NCW Chairperson said in the letter addressed to the Bengal DGP, “I request you to investigate the matter and take appropriate action as per the relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and subsequently, the Commission be apprised feedback in the matter at an early date.”
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two more cases against shelter homes operating in Bhagalpur and Gaya. The case has been filed upon inputs provided by Tata Institute of Social Science which last year too had unearthed large-scale exploitation of children in shelter homes of Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
According to reports, the case has been registered against Boys’ Children Home in Bhagalpur run by Rupam Pragati Samaj Samiti and House Mother Children Home in Gaya. Both the shelter homes have been accused of abusing the children, physically assaulting them and forcing them to write lewd and inappropriate messages, and also of using them as labourers. TISS has also reported that both the homes lacked proper medical facilities, in addition to the absence of proper study, food and recreation arrangements. It has also been alleged that shelter homes were not being run as per norms laid by the Juvenile Justice Act.
Since last year, CBI has been directed by Supreme Court to look into matters of illegal shelter homes in Bihar. This had come after surfacing of large scale sexual exploitation of girls at Balika Grih, a children’s home in Muzaffarpur operated by Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti. The shelter home which housed girls between the ages of 7 to 17, most of whom were suffering from speech-impairment. It was reported that they were given sedatives in the dinner and raped during the night and the inmates had been brutally beaten regularly by the shelter home staff including women, who compelled the girls to have sex with the visitors.
The NGO was later revealed to be owned by Brajesh Thakur, who was reportedly going to contest the election on a Congress seat. CBI had registered cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO Act). A close relative of Brajesh Thakur, Chradehskar Verma had also appeared before CBI in December last year, in relation to the case. Verma is the husband of Manju Verma, former state minister of Bihar. Manju Verma had stepped down as the minister after it was reported that Chandrashekar Verma, has gone absconding in the wake of investigations.
We have reached middle of the week and here is today’s news wrap up of the day.
1. Prime Minister Modi slams the Left government in Kerala over Sabarimala
Launching a scathing attack on the Left government during his visit to the State in the light of the recent events Modi said that the Kerala of spirituality and tranquillity, the Kerala of harmony and happiness has become hostage to the corruption and communalism of two alliances, the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front. Attacking the LDF government for its handling of the Sabarimala issue he said, “The conduct of Kerala government on the Sabarimala issue will go down in history as one of the most sinful behaviours by any party in government. We knew communists do not respect Indian history, culture and spirituality but we did not know they would have such hatred”.
2. “BJP waalon ko dauda dauda kar maarenge”: BSP leader’s pitch for 2019
According to reports, Vijay Yadav, addressing a public gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad told his supporters that BJP was the most corrupt party of the nation and asked the party supporters to teach a lesson for the BJP after winning the elections. Yadav, a BSP MLA from Thakurdwara city, said, “We will thrash the BJP, there is no need to worry about it. Now the SP and SP-BSP are together. The BJP’s elimination in the elections is certain. After the elections, the workers of SP and BSP will surely teach the BJP a lesson (Inn BJP waalon ko toh dauda dauda kar maarenge. Ghabrane ki zaroorat nahi hai. Aaj inhe nani yaad aagai hogi, mari hui nani, ki SP- BSP ek hogaye).”
3. Controversy erupts as 1984 riots accused Jagdish Tytler attends Congress official event in Delhi
In a sheer contempt towards the victims of 1984 Anti-Sikh riots, Congress leader and 1984 Sikh genocide accused Jagdish Tytler was spotted at the event in which Sheila Dikshit was made Delhi Congress chief.
Congress party had organised an event to officially hand over the charge of Delhi Congress unit to former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. During the event, 1984 anti-Sikh riot accused Jagdish Tytler was seen occupying the front row seats, which has now stoked controversy.
4. Kumbh Mela 2019: First Dalit head of Juna Akhada calls for ‘Gharwapsi’ of those who have converted to other faiths
Earlier known as Kanhaiya Kumar Kashyap, the 32-year-old Prabhunand Giri was honoured at a Pattabhishek ceremony by all the seers of the Juna Akhada in April 2018 and it was announced there that he would participate in the 2019 Kumbh as a Mahamandaleswar.
He stated, “I will wash the feet of the past lives of all my community members who embraced Islam, Christianity and Buddhism due to inequality, and bring them back to Sanatan Dharm. I will show them how Juna Akhara has been inclusive with me.
On Tuesday, Giri took his first dip at Sangam on the first ‘Shahi Snan’ in Kumbh Mela. He told TOI, “It is difficult to explain the pride I felt when I was made to sit on a chariot for the ‘Shahi Snan’, surrounded by devotees dancing to drum beats around me. My community has, for ages, been kept away from this honour, even when we have been rulers and have proved our mettle both mentally and physically by writing the Constitution and fighting the Mughals and British, respectively.”
5. Mass conversions needs to be checked, a large number of people changing religion a matter of concern: Home Minister Rajnath Singh
Raising concerns over mass conversions in the country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that there is a need to check mass conversions that are occurring in the country. Speaking at a function organised by a Christian body, Singh said he supports the freedom to follow any religion but was of the opinion that a debate is needed as the mass conversions is a matter of concern for any country.
“If someone accepts a religion on their own there shouldn’t be objections but mass conversion is a matter of concern for any country. If you’re Hindu be Hindu, Muslim be Muslim, Christian be Christian. Why do you want to convert the whole world?” he said.
6. Kerala Nun Rape Case: 4 nuns who stood against Bishop Franco forced out of Kerala convent
In another disappointing turn of events in the Kerala nun rape case, four out of the five nuns who supported the rape survivor nun after she accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her, have been asked to leave the Kuravilangad convent as per reports. The nuns have been sent to the convents which were previously assigned to them by the Missionaries of Jesus. The action has reportedly been taken in order to break the collective strength of the nuns who had protested against rape accused Bishop Franco.
As the general elections are just around the corner, it is pertinent for the first time voters or those shifting their constituency to know how to get their names registered on the relevant constituency list. And the good news is, there is no need to go to a government office to register one’s name on the voter list or make changes to the same, now all those can be done online, from the comfort of own home.
With the country ushering in the digital age, the National Voters Service Portal (nvsp.in) is an attempt by the Election Commission of India to empower first time voters as well as citizens wanting to alter their details by uploading the requisite documents on the portal without going through the hassle of locating an office in the neighbourhood and physically visiting it. The NVSP portal is a powerful instrument for the citizens to exercise one of the most important fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India- Right to vote.
Here is the step by step guide to register oneself on the portal and be a part of the world’s largest democracy.
The Home page for the National Voters Service Portal appears as shown below.
Screenshot of NVSP portal
Step 2: Check your name in the Voters list
Screenshot of NVSP portal
If you are an already registered voter, you can check your name in the above-highlighted block on the home page of the website. On hitting the search icon inside the block, it will lead you to another page as shown below.
Screen to search existing voter on the NVSP portal
The highlighted block in the above picture is to search existing voter details through name, date of birth, father’s name and residential details such as state, district and Assembly Constituency. Type in your name in the Name search box and the relevant details to get voter information such as EPIC (Electoral Photo ID Card) number, Polling station etc.
If you have your EPIC number with you, can directly search for your details by entering your EPIC number in the block marked in the image below.
Screen to search existing voter using EPIC number on the NVSP portal
Note: The above step is only for REGISTERED VOTERS
IF YOU ARE A NEW VOTER OR WANT TO CHANGE YOUR CONSTITUENCY, PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE FROM HERE
Step 3: The first time voters or those who want to change their constituency should click on the highlighted block of the webpage below.
New voter registration option on the NVSP portal
Step 3.1: Select the language
Language selection dropdown
Select your choice of language to display the form by selecting the language in the block highlighted in the above picture. At present three languages are offered: English, Hindi and Malayalam.
Step 3.2: Select if you are a first-time voter or want to shift the constituency by selecting the appropriate radio button.
The first time voter option is selected by default, so if you are a first-time voter, continue filling in the details as asked on the website. If you wish to change your constituency, click on the selected option below.
Option to shift voting constituency on NVSP portal
Step 3.3: Fill in your mandatory particulars
Mandatory particulars include Name, Surname, Relative’s name, type of relationship with the mentioned relative, Date of Birth and Gender. On the right-hand side blocks, your details will appear in the Hindi language. Kindly, check how it is written before moving ahead.
Voter detail section in voter registration form on NVSP portal
Apart from the above-mentioned particulars, the portal will ask you for additional important details such as the area of domicile and your current and permanent address. Fill in the details as relevant to you.
Address detail in voter registration form on NVSP portal
Step 3.4: Optional Particulars
You can declare your disability in this block. Also, you can register your email ID and Mobile phone numbers to receive the status of your application under Optional particulars
Optional details in voter registration form
Step 3.5: Upload your documents
After you fill in your mandatory particulars, the next important block will include uploading your documents to verify your particulars. You will be asked to upload your photograph, age proof and address proof documents. Before you start filling up this form, you must have already saved your photograph and scanned copies of your supporting documents on the computer from where you are filling it.
Document upload section in voter registration form on NVSP portal
Click on the Choose File button to upload a document, which will open a file dialogue box. In that box, navigate to the folder where you had saved the image files earlier, and select the appropriate file. In case of age proof and address proof documents, after a file is uploaded, select the type of document that you have uploaded from the drop-down list provided on the right-hand side. You can upload any one among the Birth Certificate, Marksheet of 10 or 8 or 5, Indian passport, PAN, Driving license or Aadhar card for Age proof. For address proof, you can upload any one among Passport, Driving license, Bank/Kisan/Post office current passbook, Ration card, Income Tax Assessment Order, Rent agreement, water bill, electricity bill, Telephone bill, Gas Connection bill or Post delivered through Indian postal department.
Note: All uploaded image files should be in JPEG format.
Step 3.6: Declaration (For first-time users)
The last block is about the declaration of the authenticity of the above details given by you. Fill in the details and hit the submit button.
Click the Submit button after voter registration form is filled up
Step 3.6: Declaration (For those seeking to shift constituency)
For those wishing to change their assembly constituency, they need to submit the declaration with additional details such as their earlier place of residence which includes details of State, Assembly constituency, House no, Town/Village, Locality, Pin Code, Post Office, and District.
Additional detail for shifting constituency in voter registration form
Step 3.7: Acknowledgment of the registration
On completion of all the above steps, users will receive a unique acknowledgement number through which they can track their voter registration or the status of their request to alter their constituency/address.
Acknowledgement of successful submission of online voter registration form
If one needs to make corrections for any errors in the voter list of voter ID card, the same can be done by clicking the form 8 link on the homepage. Use this option to make corrections in name, address, age, gender, photograph etc, but not for change of constituency.
In another disappointing turn of events in the Kerala nun rape case, four out of the five nuns who supported the rape survivor nun after she accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of raping her, have been asked to leave the Kuravilangad convent as per reports. The nuns have been sent to the convents which were previously assigned to them by the Missionaries of Jesus. The action has reportedly been taken in order to break the collective strength of the nuns who had protested against rape accused Bishop Franco.
JUST IN: 4 nuns who spoke up against Bishop Franco forced out of Kerala convent. LISTEN IN as Vivek shares details pic.twitter.com/GnDk82C6fX
As per the report, the Church Body has ordered the nuns to be transferred to the States of Punjab, Haryana, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. A 44-year-old nun from Kerala had accused the Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Bishop of the Diocese of Jalandhar of raping her in 2014 at a guesthouse in Kuravilangad and later on several occasions. The nun had accused the Syro-Malabar Church of taking no action against the accused. Unfortunately, the accused Bishop was given a heroic welcome when he returned to Jalandhar after being granted conditional bail.
A copy of the transfer letter, shared by Republic TV, accuses the nuns of ‘issuing malafide statements’, and spreading baseless stories to ‘tarnish the image’ of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation. The mother superior also asserts that despite the allegations the congregation has been ‘supporting the nuns with food, accommodation and medical expenses.’
In the month of October last year, Father Kuriakose who had testified against Bishop Franco was found dead under mysterious circumstances. In the month of September in 2018, the nuns of the Catholic Church Kerala had come forward to protest against the atrocities of Church. One the nuns who were protesting against the rape accused Bishop was relieved of her duties by the Syro-Malabar Church. The nun has accused that the action was taken against her because she stood for the truth.
Earlier, the church authorities have put three nuns, who had openly criticised the victim and had stood with Bishop Franco, in-charge of the Kuravilangad convent where the victim and her supporters were residing.
The Church has seemingly been hesitant to take any substantive action against the accused Bishop rather it has been consistently hostile towards the rape survivor nun and anybody who stood in her support.
