TURA | March 16, 2019:

Meghalaya police on Friday night arrested a priest from Kerala, Father Biju Joseph for allegedly molesting a woman on the night bus while returning from Shillong.

North Garo Hills police informed that the accused priest was caught and roughed up by the passengers of a night bus after the victim raised an alarm.

As the incident took place in Assam, the passengers waited until they reached Meghalaya before handing him over to the police at Bajengdoba, last night.

The accused priest belonged to the Guwahati Provincial of the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales (MSFS) congregation. Currently based at SFS School in Nangalbibra, the priest is serving at Sumonpara Parish in South Garo Hills (SGH) district.

According to the complaint filed by the passengers, the accused was coming from Shillong to Tura on Friday night when he allegedly tried to hold the hand of a female fellow passenger seated next to him. The incident allegedly took place after the bus left Paikan a little after midnight, where a dinner stop is made.

The victim of the incident was a 27 year old woman. She raised an alarm when the accused tried to touch her after which fellow passengers came to her rescue. The angry passengers even slapped the accused before he was handed over to the police in NGH after the bus reached there.