Kochi, September 16: Social Activist Stephen Mathews has been shifted to a hospital after his health worsened on the 9th day of hunger strike. He has been on a hunger strike demanding the arrest of rape accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Aloshi Joseph, member of Catholic Reformation Movement also joined the indefinite hunger strike. Yesterday, the police issued a notice to Mulakkal to appear for interrogation on September 19. A criminal case also registered against the Missionaries of Jesus for publishing a letter as well as a photo of the victim nun.

The brother of the victim has also slammed the congregation for disclosing the identity of the nun. The congregation put out the photograph in a release issued to the media to publish the findings of its enquiry commission. As per the Indian laws, revealing the identity of rape and sexual assault victims is a crime. The congregation claimed that the May 23, 2015 photograph was taken when the nun was attending a private function along with Mulakkal.

The 54-year-old Mullakal has also stepped down as the Jalandhar Bishop. Mulakkal is accused of raping a 44-year-old nun, associated with the Catholic Convent in Kottayam, 12 times between 2014 and 2016. She broke her silence three months ago and registered a case against the Bishop on June 27. Meanwhile, protests are underway in several parts of Kerala, including Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, seeking police action against Mulakkal at the earliest.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2018 01:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).