Kerala nun rape case: Bishop Franco Mulakkal temporarily removed by Vatican

New Delhi, Sep 20: Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape by a nun in Kerala, has been temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by the Vatican.

"Bishop Franco Mulakkal temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Vatican," the Catholic Bishop Conference of India said in a statement.

In the letter dated September 16, the Bishop expressed willingness to absolve himself of the responsibilities of the diocese since he would have to travel to Kerala several times and has sought permission for the same. The letter was handed over to the Pope's representative in India.

Mulakkal, who has been accused by the nun's of repeated sexual assault between 2014 and 2016, recently temporarily relinquished his administrative responsibilities.

On Wednesday, activists of All India Youth Federation, the youth wing of CPI, waved black flags as the bishop came out of the police station after questioning.

Some people also burnt an effigy of Mulakkal. Kottayam Superintendent of Police Hari Sankar said the bishop's questioning was likely to be over on Thursday. Meanwhile, police have tightened security in and around the crime branch office.

Meanwhile, Mulakkal has maintained that the allegations against him were a "cooked up story to wreak vengeance" for the actions taken by him on various complaints received against the nun.