The Kerala police have filed a new affidavit in the Kerala nun rape case on Thursday, purportedly detailing why rape-accused Jalandhar Bishop Father Franco Mulakkal has not been arrested even after 79 days after the rape survivor nun filed an FIR against him, and six days after a group of nuns began protesting police inaction in the case in front of the Kerala High Court.
In the affidavit filed this morning, police claimed that the delay in arresting the bishop was due to “discrepancies” in the statements by the bishop, the complainant and the witnesses questioned by police in this case. Apparently, the police are working hard to solve these discrepancies in the statements and are in the process of collating strong evidence against the bishop.
However, an affidavit filed in the case on August 10 clearly stated that “During the course of investigation so far conducted and the available evidences collected so far, it is revealed that the accused committed unnatural offences and committed rape repeatedly on different dates between 5/5/2018 and 23/09/2016 on the victim, against the will and consent of her by abusing his dominance over her as Bishop of Jalandhar after confining her in room number 20 of St Francis Mission Home Kuravilangad.” That affidavit also mentioned that the doctor’s report enclosed in the affidavit includes evidence that the nun in question was in fact sexually assaulted, which is sufficient grounds for arrest.
Instead of moving to arrest the bishop, the Kerala police on Wednesday issued a “summons” for Father Mulakkal, directing him to appear before them on September 19.
As Sister Josephine, one of the nuns protesting police inaction in this case, said to TNM, “There was no need for the police to give him so much time. The bishop is a criminal. Why grant him time instead of arresting him? We fear that this notice summoning him is also a farce.”
The complainant and the nuns protesting on her behalf have been subject to numerous vicious attacks since the start of this case. Shortly after the complainant wrote a 7-page letter to the Vatican ambassador detailing how her complaints had been ignored by several church officials, the Missionaries of Jesus released a statement to the media besmirching the nun’s character. As reported by TNM, various church authorities have also sent directives to all major congregation superiors to make sure that more nuns do not join the protest.
Also read: 'The survivor is fighting for all of us': Whistleblower Sr Jesme joins nuns' protest