After a marathon interrogation lasting over seven hours on Wednesday, the police allowed Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a nun, to leave for the day with the interrogation set to continue on Thursday.
Emerging from the hi-tech interrogation cell at the Crime Branch office in Tripunithura, Kottayam Superintendent of Police Hari Sanker told the media that the first phase of the interrogation was over and that the bishop was served notice to appear for further interrogation at the same place on Thursday at 11 a.m.
He said the bishop was cooperating with the interrogation but declined to divulge further details, including the bishop’s defence against the allegations, on the ground that they were “part of the investigation.” Asked whether the police were able to have more clarity on the contradictions in the statements of the accused and the victim, Mr. Sanker said the investigation team would reflect on such matters once the interrogation was completely over.
The officer was also not forthcoming when asked by the media whether there remained ground for the arrest of the bishop, countering it with the reasoning that the interrogation was not over yet. Activists of the AIYF waved black flag at the bishop as his car made its way from the Crime Branch office after the interrogation.
Earlier in the day, the bishop made a dramatic entry to the interrogation centre in a car around 11 a.m. along with his counsel and another priest after giving the waiting media contingent the skip. The bishop, who was heading the diocese in Jalandhar, arrived in Kochi on Tuesday evening and left for Thrissur for the night.