India: Kerala police registers case against bishop for allegedly raping nun more than a dozen times

Sunday, July 1, 2018

On Friday, the police of the Indian state of Kerala registered a case against Catholic bishop Frank Mullakkal of the Syro-Malabar church in Jalandhar for allegedly raping a nun at least thirteen times.

According to the complaint, the bishop from Kerala assaulted the nun starting in 2014. Police superintendent Hari Shankar said the complaint was lodged at the Kuravilangad police station. The nun said she was first sexually assaulted in Kuravilangad. Bishop Frank Mullakkal was appointed the bishop of Jalandhar’s church in 2013.

The nun’s complaint was registered just days after the accused bishop lodged a complaint reportedly against the nun’s family for blackmailing him about the alleged sexual assault. The nun said she had complained to church authorities about the assaults but she was dismissed from her official position.

Police superintendent Hari Shankar said, “The bishop has given a complaint against the nun, saying that she has threatened him. Police have registered two cases based on the complaints”.