New Delhi, Oct 18, 2018: The brother of the Kerala nun who has accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of repeatedly raping her on October 18 strongly objected to the way the prelate was welcomed in Jalandhar.
The prelate’s supporters showered him with rose petals and garlanded when he reached Jalandhar on October 17, a day after he was released on conditional bail from a jail in Kerala.
He said the bishop should be “ashamed of himself” for the kind of reception he was accorded yesterday as he is a “religious figure.”
“Court granted him bail, but he is not innocent,” the nun’s brother said. “He should be ashamed of himself. He seems to be unapologetic,” he told news agency ANI.
Bishop Mulakkal was seen smiling as his followers threw rose petals on him. Mulakkal, 54, was arrested on September 21 after three days of questioning and amid protests over the sexual assault allegations by the nun.
The Kerala High Court on October 15 granted him conditional bail.
“The prayers of the people of Punjab supported me. I believe that they will pray for me even in the days to come. I thank everyone. Investigation is underway and I am co-operating. I’m a law abiding citizen and I trust the legal system of the country,” the bishop told reporters in Jalandhar.
In her complaint in June, the nun had alleged that she was sexually abused by Bishop Mulakkal 13 times between 2014 and 2016 during his visits to a convent in Kottayam.
The nun had said she approached the police as church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman. However, the bishop has denied the charges.
NDTV