Kottayam nuns accuse top cops of sabotaging rape probe

Nuns protest against the delay in action against the Roman Catholic Church Bishop allegedly accused of raping a nun in Kochi. Pic/PTI

A day after hitting the streets, seeking justice for a nun allegedly raped by a Roman Catholic Bishop, five nuns on Sunday accused top police officers of trying to sabotage the investigation in the case.

The nuns from a convent in Kottayam, to which the victim belonged, slammed the reported move to hand over the probe against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar diocese to the crime branch wing.

They alleged the police officers were trying to delay the probe into the case to save Bishop Franco. "We have full faith in the probe being carried out by the deputy superintendent of police. But the top officers are not permitting him to carry out a free and fair investigation. They are delaying the probe and trying to sabotage the case", one of the nuns told the media at Kuravilangadu in Kottayam district. DGP Loknath Behera, however, said there was no move at present to hand over the investigation to the crime branch.

"At present there is no move to hand over the probe to the crime branch," he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram. Behera said he has directed Ernakulam Range IG Vijay Sakhare to complete the investigation as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, members of various Catholic reformation organisations continued their protest on Sunday against alleged laxity in the probe into the rape complaint filed by the nun.

MLA draws flak for abusing rape victim
Lashing out at Kerala MLA P C George for using ‘abusive language' against an alleged rape victim, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said such incidents are shameful. Sharma noted that the commission would be writing to Kerala DGP to take action against such lawmakers.

Kerala nun found dead inside well
A 55-year-old nun was found dead inside the well of Mount Tabor Dayara Convent at Pathanapuram, police said. The body of Sister Susan, a teacher at St Stephens School attached to the convent, was found floating in the well on Sunday morning.

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