K.A. Shaji: Kerala Nuns Who Fought Rape-Accused Bishop Mulakkal Feel Alone And Scared

NB: The intimidation of the complainant nuns by the Church hierarchy is a disgrace. Human rights and women's organisations should protect and stand up for these persons, who have clearly taken on powerful forces simply for refusing to submit quietly to molestation. DS
As the case against Franco Mulakkal drags on, the six nuns who shook the powerful Catholic Church say they have been isolated from the world and their community.

Kottayam, "Four plus six,” is how the watchman puts it when asked how many nuns are inside the St Francis Mission Home, the local congregation of the Missionaries of Jesus, housed on a five-acre campus a few miles away from Kuravilangad in Kottayam. The differentiation is deliberate - the six nuns, whom he considers rebels, were responsible for bringing a top clergyman before the Indian judicial system for the first time over allegations of sexual assault and rape. This group includes the 46-year-old nun who accused then Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal of forcibly entering her room in this building and raping her multiple times over two years, setting off a protest that divided India’s Catholic community and forced the powerful global institution to take note.

An AP investigation done at the time had found that sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops was commonplace, and carried out under a cloak of secrecy from all quarters.   Almost a year later, as the case against Mulakkal drags on, the six nuns say they feel isolated from the world and their community. The other nuns in the house give them the silent treatment and they are kept in the dark about the congregation’s activities. The uneasiness is obvious from the gate itself - the watchman warns this reporter not to use a camera or mobile phone, and only reluctantly allows entry - and once inside the building, which sits between an old age home and a working women’s hostel, the atmosphere is palpably uneasy.      

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The rape survivor looked exhausted and, when asked about her work and future, motioned to Sister Anupama, who had stood solidly behind her as senior church members questioned her character and tried to expel her from the congregation. “We six people faced everything together and still remain united in the face of extreme adversities and uncertainties. In a way, we shared the sufferings. They are facing trouble only because of me. So they are more competent to talk,’’ she said.

Sister Anupama was surrounded by fellow nuns Alphy, Ancitta, Neena Rose and Josephine, who together shot to international limelight last year when they held a sit-in protest in Kochi, demanding Mulakkal’s arrest. The influential bishop was arrested in September last year, and released on bail around three weeks later. It took seven months after that for the Kerala police to file a chargesheet against him.  According to the officials who investigated the case, Mulakkal was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for rape, criminal intimidation, unnatural sex and wrongful confinement. The trial hasn’t begun yet because, said Sister Anupama, the bishop’s lawyer was citing “one technical reason after another”.  “The date for commencement of the trial has been changed for three consecutive times in the last one month because of (this),’’ she said. 

The nuns claim the charge sheet had been ready since last December, but that the police had delayed filing it due to extreme political pressure. Finally, the investigators filed it in the court only after the nuns complained to top police officials in the state. They also told the authorities that they were living in extreme fear... read more:
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/kerala-nuns-fighting-rape-accused-bishop-franco-mulakkal-feel-alone_in_5d4049bae4b0db8affaebc11