The dubious candlelight vigils and placard activism have yet again shown the hypocrisy of certain individuals who have been at the forefront of committing heinous crimes. This time, it is the rape accused Bishop who had not only organised a protest march against Kathua rape but also used it to further his political agenda.

Reportedly, Franco Mulakkal, the Bishop of Jalandhar diocese, who himself is accused of raping and having unnatural sex with a nun had organised a peace procession to demand justice for Kathua rape victim. The special prayer meeting which was held in Jalandhar was attended by the Congress MLA Rajinder Beri.

The peace event organised by the rape accused Bishop had also been used as a political march as there were banners and placards taking a dig at the Centre mentioning “cow safe, deer safe, girls….?”. It is indeed ironical to know that the Bishop, accused of raping a nun multiple times, had led a march in the past to fight the honour of the women.

Addressing the meeting, the rape accused Bishop had said that it was the duty of all people to protect women. “We condemn the incidents of rape and crimes against women and urge the government to ensure their safety and security”. In the presence of a Congress lawmaker, the Bishop had also used the platform to spread a political message against the ruling NDA government by saying that there was some prevailing conditions of anxiety and had asked all the minorities to be united.

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Franco Mulakkal, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, is said to have raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and exploited her sexually on several other occasions. The nun has registered a complaint in June this year and has been allegedly threatened by the accused of doing so. The congregation has also stood by the rape accused and referred to him as an “innocent soul”. We had also reported that Kerala MLA PC George had called the alleged rape victim a ‘prostitute’.