Bishop Franco held in Kerala nun rape case

Kochi: Bishop Franco Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested on Friday night amid mounting public outrage over allegations of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a nun, police said.

He was arrested by the Kerala police after intense interrogation over the last three days.

The development came a day after the Vatican relieved him “temporarily” of all pastoral responsibilities as the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation to which the alleged victim also belongs.

The nun had accused the 54-year old clergyman of repeatedly raping and having unnatural sex with her between 2014 and 2016.

Inspector-general of police (Kochi Range) Vijay Sakhare told PTI that the arrest was recorded at 8 pm and the bishop would be produced in a magistrate court in Pala in Kottayam district Saturday.

Bishop Mulakkal, who had been coming for the interrogation in the bishop attire, was taken to Tripunithura government taluk hospital in civil dress for medical examination and later to Kottayam.

People gathered there booed the bishop as he was being escorted out of the hospital.

Earlier, Kottayam district police chief Hari Sankar told reporters that the bishop has been slapped with charges, including rape, illegal confinement, unnatural sex and intimidation.

There were evidences to arrive at a reasonable suspicion that the clerygyman had committed the crime, he said.

Members of various Christian reformation organisations as also the nuns of the Missionaries of Jesus, who were staging a protest close to the Kerala High Court premises for the last 13 days for the bishop’s arrest, erupted with joy as the news broke.

Fr Augustine Vattoli, Convenor of the Save our Sisters (SOS) Action Council, which spearheaded the protest, called off the hunger-strike. The five nuns who were taking part in the protest welcomed the arrest of the bishop and said they would end their agitation for the time being.