Rape-accused Bishop harassed Fr Kuriakose for backing nun, alleges brother

The family of Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, found dead in a room on the premises of at Dasuya near here, Wednesday alleged that the senior Catholic priest was being consistently harassed at the behest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is facing allegations of raping a nun.

In a complaint to the police, 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.

Father Kuriakose was a witness in the nun rape case and was found dead in a room at St Paul Convent School, Dasuya on October 22.

In his complaint, Kurian also claimed his brother's salary was slashed and being released irregularly.

His brother's Bhogpur residence too was attacked the day he gave a statement against the Bishop to a police team from Kerala, he said.

The deceased priest's autopsy was conducted at Dasuya Civil Hospital Tuesday evening.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal is facing allegations of raping a nun.

In her complaint to the Kottayam police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal had raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and later sexually exploited her on several occasions.

Mulakkal, however, has denied the charges as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled the allegations because the Catholic order had rejected her demands for favours.