Attempt being made to destabilise us emotionally, say Kerala nuns supporting rape victim

The four nuns, transferred out of Kerala for apparently supporting a nun who was allegedly raped by a bishop, on Thursday expressed fear for their safety.

Sister Anupama, one of the four who have been supporting a public protest against the bishop, said their transfer was an attempt to "destabilise" them emotionally.

The four nuns had been asked by the Missionaries of Jesus congregation to leave the Kuravilangad convent in Kerala and rejoin their communities in places like Bihar, Kerala and Punjab. The nuns however have chosen to stay with the survivor nun.

"The transfer is an attempt to split us (the nuns) and destabilize us emotionally. There is no guarantee that people who aren't protecting us here will give us protection at other places like Bihar or Punjab," she told reporters here.

A Kerala-based outfit 'The Kerala Catholic Reformation Movement (KCRM)' , which is supporting the nuns, claimed a "hidden agenda" behind the transfer orders.

"There is a hidden agenda against the transfer of the nuns who waged a protest against Bishop Franco Mulackal. It is a sexual war with the primary intention to destroy the unity among them and thereby seclude the sisters," Indulekha Joseph, a spokesperson and a member of KCRM said.

Joseph also said the nuns should be given protection and transferring them to distant lands would pose a serious threat to them.

"There is a serious threat to their life they might not be not be killed directly but they can tortured mentally in such a way that they will be forced to commit suicide," she said.

T B Mini of the Democratic Women's Association said the transfer was " a criminal activity" and amounted to a violation of the bail granted to the bishop.

"This amounts to threatening and influencing the witness. It is a criminal activity church and others who are protecting the accused are trying to force the witnesses to withdraw from the case it is inhuman also. Protection has to be given against these kind of activities by the church also. The High Court has to interfere in these matter because the accused is actually threatening and influencing the witness," Mini said.

A nun has accused Bishop Mulakkal of raping her multiple times between 2014 and 2016.

The bishop has been denying the allegations.