Nuns protesting to call for the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal in Kochi, Kerala. (Photo by Vivek Nair/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)Nuns protesting against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, through separate letters to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, have asked for the state government to intervene to ensure their safety , reports The Hindu.
Four out of the five nuns who have been ordered to leave the St. Francis Mission Home at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district, as well as the nun who is allegedly rape-victim of Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, have requested the CM that the transfer orders against them be stayed.
Also read: Franco Mulakkal Case: Nuns Who Protested Against Rape Accused Bishop Asked To Leave Kottayam Convent
The nuns have expressed a desire to stay on at the Kuravilangad convent till the conclusion of the rape trial against Mulakkal, and have also sought for the transfer of Sister Neena Rose, another nun resident at the institution, to be stayed.
The rape victim’s letter states that the five nuns facing transfer at the mission home have provided her with emotional support while the convent administration was denying their basic needs such as medical treatment.
The directive to transfer the five nuns, namely sisters Anupama Kelamngalathuveli, Josephine Villoonnickal, Alphy Pallasseril and Ancitta Urumbil and Rose is seen as a retaliatory move by the Church to punish them for publicly protesting and demanding arrest of the accused Bishop.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal was placed under arrest but was later granted bail. The accused was given a warm welcome with garlands and flowers as he came out of the jail, reflecting full support of Church organisation behind him. Within days of his release, key witness in the case, Fr Kuriakose, who gave statement against him, was found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The nuns claim that they face a threat from Mulakkal and the Church authorities backing him.
Copies of the letters have also been forwarded to the state police chief, Loknath Behra, and to the chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, M C Josephine.
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