Bishop accused of raping nun grilld for 7 hours, questioning

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of repeated rape and sexual assault by a nun, was grilled by Kerala police for seven hours Wednesday and the questioning will continue tomorrow, officials said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police K Subhash, who heads the Special Investigation Team, questioned the 54-year-old clergyman at the crime branch office.

Mulakkal had recently stepped aside as the Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation.

"The first phase of interrogation is over. He has been asked to be present tomorrow morning at 11 am for continued interrogation. He has agreed to it," Kottayam Superintendent of police Hari Sankar said after the marathon questioning of the priest.

Sankar, who joined Subhash during the questioning, said the clergyman was cooperating with the investigation.

When asked about the "contradictions" in the statements of the alleged victim, the witnesses and Mulakkal, as claimed by police earlier, Sankar said," That's the purpose of the interrogation. The interrogation is not over. We will reflect on it after it is over."