In a shocking incident, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun from the Missionaries of Jesus congregation, was welcomed like a hero at Jalandhar after he was granted conditional bail by the Kerala High Court. The rape accused Bishop was welcomed by showering him with rose petals and also garlanded by his supporters as he reached Jalandhar on Wednesday.
According to the reports, rape accused Bishop Mulakkal reached the Bishop House at Jalandhar around 5 pm on Wednesday. The supporters of the rape accused Bishop had arrived in large numbers including some nuns. After Franco arrived, many raised slogans in support of the accused rapist and recited prayers in support of Mulakkal and the Catholic Church.
The embracing of an accused who is out on a conditional bail has resulted in not only victim shaming but also an attempt to derail the ongoing case by depicting the accused as an ‘innocent’. Social media users were shocked after seeing the resounding welcome given to the rape accused Bishop Franco. Some social media users questioned the silence of so-called ‘feminists’ and ‘placard activists’ over the grand welcome given to the rape accused.
SHAME “Feminists” RAPE APOLOGISTS !! BLOOD BOILS & TEARS for Poor Nun to see this welcome in Jalandhar for Rapist Bishop #FrancoMulakkal pic.twitter.com/GfUBV1txS0
— Rosy (@rose_k01) October 17, 2018
Rape Accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal Released From Kerala’s Kottayam Jail After Being Granted Unconditional Bail By Kerala High Court. Welcomed And Garlanded In Jalandhar Today
Arrested After 3 Months, Released After 3 Weeks. Where Are Placard Activists & Feminists Hiding? #MeToo pic.twitter.com/FLz3nK5dCM
— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) October 17, 2018
They also questioned the media for remaining silent over this shocking incident and highlighted their hypocrisy over selectivity in reporting such incidents.
Two prime time news:
MJ Akbar resigns for charges of molestation.
Franco Mulakkal welcomed with garlands upon his release on bail.
Pssst! There is no correlation between the two.— Sanjay Dixit संजय (@Sanjay_Dixit) October 17, 2018
There were also questions raised against the unequal implementation of the law by the courts. The rape accused Bishop was given bail within 3 weeks of his arrest even though the Kerala police took 3 months to arrest the alleged rapist.
Kerala HC grants bail to Repist Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is the accused in Kerala nun rape case. Same Law but not equal implementation. #MeToo agenda of converted Tanushree is successful.
— प्रशान्त पटेल उमराव (@ippatel) October 15, 2018
Couple of months ago in SC some MiLord asked “When will rapes stop in India”
Well, your lordships , keeping letting rapists out on bail and we will never see the fear of law in them perps https://t.co/JyRIH5tZuC
— Jiggs ?? (@Sootradhar) October 17, 2018
Bishop Franco Mulakkal, Archdiocese of Jalandhar, Punjab, was arrested by the police officials on September 21st after the investigating team finally found evidence that linked him in the sexual harassment case. 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’. The Kerala High court had granted him a conditional bail on October 15th after asking him to appear before the investigation team once every two weeks and had also ordered to surrender his passport.
