New Delhi: A group of nuns belonging to the Missionaries of Jesus met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here to express their displeasure over the actions of the police officers investigating the complaint against Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
The Bishop, who is accused of raping a nun, was remanded to judicial custody till October 6 by a local court in Pala.
A 16-member team of nuns from Jalandhar reportedly called on Pinarayi when he arrived at Kerala House after a politburo meeting.
The Missionaries of Jesus, the congregation to which both the alleged victim and accused Bishop belong, had openly come out in support of Mullakal. The congregation had released a photograph of the nun seated with her alleged tormentor in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines, which prohibit revealing the identity of a victim of sexual assault.
According to the nuns who met the chief minister, the investigating team was intruding into the convents without notice and recording statements by issuing threats.
In her complaint to the Kottayam police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangadu in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.
The nun had said she had to approach the police as church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman.
However, the bishop has denied the charges.