INDIA
Times of India
KOCHI: Suryanelli gang rape victim hasn’t been banned from entering the church, priest of the church said on Friday.
The clarification was issued following media reports that the girl and her relatives have been banned from entering St Francis Xavier Church at Sachivothamapuram near Kurichy in Kottayam district. Reports had stated that the directive not to enter the church under Vijayapuram diocese was issued two weeks ago.
The priest, Xavier Mammoottil, was said to have told the victim’s family that as the residents in the area have come to know the identity of the victim and her family, it is better that they should stay away from the church until all the problems related to the sex case are resolved.
It was in 1996 that the girl, who was a 16-year-old then, was raped by over 40 men over 40 days by transporting her across the state. The victim had recently lodged a police complaint and a petition before a local magistrate court against Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson PJ Kurien alleging that he had raped her and a probe should be conducted.
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