‘Concrete evidences’ against rape accused Father Alphonse: LRO suspects moves of CBCI in Khunti gang rape case

Ranchi, June 27: Strongly denying the mala fide agenda of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India [CBCI] to shield the Khunti gang rape accused Catholic priest Father Alphonse by doubting the intent of the Police, now the Additional Director General of Police R K Malik has said that there were "concrete evidences" against him in the case. And now the Legal Rights Observatory, a legal rights watchdog, has questioned the act of CBCI of blatantly defending Khunti gang rape accused Catholic priest Father Alphonse who is principal of the mission school. The LRO letter to CBCI asks: If police comes up with concrete evidences against Father Alphonse, will CBCI believe that he is guilty? And If father proves guilty, then will CBCI sack him, or will just pay pittance to shirk off the sins like dozens of other Catholic priests caught red handed in sexual abuse cases and the will continue to serve the Church?

Five anti-trafficking activists were gang raped on Tuesday 26 June 2018 at Kochang village under Arki Police Station in Khunti, the Maoist-affected district after being picked up from RC Mission School while they were staging a 'nukkar natak' at allegedly by Patthalgadi supporters on Tuesday at Kochang under Arki Police Station in Khunti.

On the basis of evidences collected during the investigation Khunti Police arrested Father Alfonso as he was trying to manage the incident in spite of complaining the matter to Police. Referring to the role of Father Alfonso Alien in the case, the Police personnel told media that conduct was also suspicious as he prevented the two nuns from being taken away with the team, but when these women pleaded before him, he told them that nothing will happen and they will left very soon after some time.

Now, Additional Director General of Police R K Malik denied that Father Alfonso Alien, head of the missionary school, was being framed in the matter, and said there were "concrete evidences" against him in the case.

The Legal Rights Observatory in its letter to CBCI comments that every conscious and law abiding Indian has suffered deep shock to see responsible office bearer of CBCI brazenly coming forward to safeguard gang rape accused.

LRO says it felt dire need to put these questions to CBCI, so that CBCI's commitment and integrity with Indian Constitution could be judged in the light of your answers.

The need to ask these questions to CBCI aroused because within last few months, numerous CBCI office bearers and CBCI affiliated Catholic clergies have repeatedly shed crocodile tears for so called trampling of human rights and fundamental liberties along with basic tenets of Indian Constitution. But unfortunately, when CBCI confronted with peculiar situation like Khunti gang rape case, Catholic body shamelessly set aside its opportunistic and provisional love for Indian Constitution, Indian Laws and law enforcement machinery to declare its office bearer innocent: LRO

The LRO through a letter to CBCI has put few relevant questions to CBCI.

LRO ask, if the police comes up with concrete evidences against Father Alphonse, will CBCI believe that he is guilty and if the Father proves guilty, then will CBCI sack him, or will just pay pittance to shirk off the sins like dozens of other Catholic priests caught red handed in sexual abuse cases and the will continue to serve the Church.

LRO also asks that with press conference declaring Father Alphonse innocent, do CBCI want to pressurize local police investigating Khunti gang rape and questions the intention of the Catholic Bishop body for declaring parallel probe through missionary sisters, which is being seen as an insult of Indian constitution and the refuting the findings of police investigations.

The LRO also highlights the unholy anti-India nexus of the Catholic Chruch and the infamous Patthalgadi movement. The Maoist affected Khunti district is a battleground of the Maoist organization Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI) which runs the Patthalgadi movement.

LRO interrogates the CBCI on its atatement that the whole incidence is a failure of official machinery which is a root cause of Patthalgadi movement and asks if the PLFI activists are innocent and Patthalgadi movement is heading towards Church set goals.

If CBCI not reciprocated positively and not answered to clear the air, LRO letter says it will think upon writing the letter to the ‘Holy See’ in same matter.