Close on the heels of the complaint of a man that his wife was allegedly sexually abused by a group of priests of Malankara Orthodox Church in Kerala, a nun has filed a police complaint against a Catholic bishop alleging that he had sexually abused her multiple times at a guest house in Kottayam in Kerala.
Following the nun’s complaint, the Kerala police have on Friday registered a case against the Bishop of Jalandhar, Frank Mullakkal, at Kuravilangad police station. The nun, who is now in Marangattu church seminary, has alleged in her complaint that Franco Mulakkal, Bishop of the Diocese of Jalandhar, had sexually abused her multiple times at a guest house between 2014 and 2016.
The nun said she had complained to the church last year but it failed to take action against the accused bishop. So she was forced to file a police complaint now.
The nun told media persons in Kottayam on Saturday that she would continue taking the legal path against the Bishop.
However, the Bishop denied the allegation and said the complainant had been threatening to malign him with the charges after he took disciplinary against her when they were together in Madhya Pradesh. Her brother also threatened him with dire consequences, he said.
The bishop has filed a police complaint against the nun saying that she was blackmailing him and threatened to implicate him in a sexual harassment case.
Bishop Mullakkal, hailing from Kottayam, was appointed as the bishop of Jalandhar in 2013.
Supporters of the Bishop have rejected the charges against the priest.
Meanwhile, the Kerala police on Friday decided to probe the allegation raised by the husband of a woman that his wife was sexually exploited by a group of clergymen belonging to the Malankara Orthodox Church in Kerala by using her confession statement regarding her illegal relationship with a priest before marriage as a blackmail tool.
The police decided to probe the case following the intervention of the National Women Commission.