Kerala Police records statements of nuns, likely to question bishop on Sunday

CHANDIGARH: The six-member team of Kerala Police did not visit the Bishop House to question Father Franco, against whom serious allegations of rape have been levelled by a senior nun but recorded the statement of the nuns.

Sources said that the police team on the second day of it's visit to Jalandhar today visited St. Mary's Cathedral Church situated in Jalandhar Cantonment and there visited the staff quarters of the nuns and recorded their statements.

Thereafter, the police team visited the main Church building and met nuns who had assembled thereupon knowing that the police in the Church. Confirming that the Kerela police team has today visited the Church, Chief Public Officer of Jalandhar Bishop House, Father Peter said, "the police hadn't visited the Bishop House today and that there is no information available with him as to when it shall be visiting.''

Having arrived in Jalandhar led by Vaikom DSP K Subhash on Friday afternoon, a Kerala Police team had met some ex-nuns at Bias village near Bhogpur and today met the Jalandhar Police Commissioner Parveen Sinha at his residence before proceeding towards the congregation centre at Mall Road, Jalandhar Cantonment.

The Jalandhar centre of missionaries of Jesus is the headquarters of all centres under the congregation in India. The complainant nun was earlier serving as Superior General in the congregation. The team is likely to question the Bishop at Bishop House on Sunday. The nun had on June 28 lodged a complaint against the Bishop that he had raped her thirteen times during his visit to a Jalandhar Diocese centre in Kerala between 2014-16.