Appear on Sept 19, Bishop Mulakkal told

Kochi, September 12

Amid mounting pressure for his arrest over rape charges by a nun, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Jalandhar Diocese has been asked by the Kerala Police to appear before the investigating team on September 19.

IGP Vijay Sakhare said the delay in completing the probe was on account of “contradictions” in the statements by the victim, the witnesses and the accused.

“It is an old case based primarily on oral evidence. It is very difficult to gather scientific and technical evidence. Bishop Mulakkal has been asked to appear,” Sakhare told the media. The Bishop was  questioned in Jalandhar last month too.

The review meeting, attended by Kottayam DSP Harisankar and Vaikom DSP K Subhash, head of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) entrusted with the case, finalised the affidavit to be submitted in the Kerala High Court on Thursday. The HC had earlier this week directed the state government to inform it of the steps taken by the SIT.

Meanwhile, as protests by Catholic Reform organisations and nuns seeking justice continued, the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council slammed these as having “crossed all limits”. — PTI