In the latest development, sister of the 44-year-old survivor nun, who accused Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape, has said that she and her family have been receiving death threats from the accused Bishop's aides.
In a complaint filed at the DGP's office, she said, “The accused (Bishop Franco Mulakkal) is capable of committing any violent act and wields financial and political clout. My family and I are facing death threats from him. The Bishop and his aides harbour grudge against the family members of the survivor nun, including me, as we were the ones who supported her in her decision to seek legal recourse to indict him.”
The letter went on to reveal details of the accused's aides from whom the survivor and her family have been receiving threats.
"They also have enmity towards my brother, as acted in a timely manner and interacted with the media, thus bringing the issue into the public forum. The accused and his aides have even raised false accusations against him in the past and filed police complaints, which were written off as false cases after an enquiry then. As the case progressed, Thomas Chittuparamban, a close aide of Franco Mulakkal, issued a direct threat to me, saying that if the Bishop was arrested, my son and brother’s lives would be in danger. Besides this, another aide of the Bishop, Unni Chittuparamban, took my photo when I was on a hunger strike during the protest in Kochi,” the statement reads.
The complainant went on to appeal investigation into the case and for police protection for her and her family in the face of these threats.
"With Franco Mulakkal's arrest, there is a threat to our lives and assets. With the current situation, I appeal to the officials to look into the complaint and provide protection to the life and assets of my family," she added.