Alappuzha: A group of nuns, who had taken a stern stance seeking the arrest of rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, were on Thursday turned away from the church premises where the funeral of a witness in the sensational case was held. Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, who had deposed a statement against Mulackal, was laid to rest at the St Mary's Forane Church, Pallippuram, here.
Sister Anupama and her colleagues were turned away from the premises by a section of parishioners as the nuns attempted to speak to journalists gathered there. The nuns had gone to the church to attend the final rites of the priest.
Sr Anupama, who belongs to the Pallipuram parish, later told mediapersons that she never expected such a behaviour from her own fellow parishoners. She said Fr Kattuthara was a great source of support for them. She said he was suffering from huge mental stress after he took a stance against the bishop.
Fr Kattuthara was found dead in a room at St Paul's Convent School, Dasuya, in Punjab on October 22.
The relatives of Fr Kattuthara on Wednesday alleged that the senior Catholic priest was consistently harassed at the behest of the bishop.
In a complaint to the police, Fr Kattuthara's brother Jose Kurian said his brother had often told him and other family members that he was being threatened by the bishop and his people.
In his complaint, Kurian also claimed his brother's salary was slashed and being released irregularly.
Fr Kattuthara's autopsy was conducted at Dasuya Civil Hospital on Tuesday evening.
The bishop is out on bail. In her complaint to the Kottayam police in June, the nun had alleged that Mulakkal had raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May, 2014, and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.
The bishop, however, has denied the charges as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled the allegations because the Catholic order had rejected her demands for favours.