The police on Tuesday arrested Robin Vadakkancheril alias Mathew Vadakkancheril, 48, the parish vicar at St. Sebastian Church, Neendunoki, Kottiyoor, in Kannur district on the charge of raping a minor girl last year.
According to the police, the vicar was arrested from Chalakudy in Thrissur on Monday evening. He confessed to the crime on questioning. He was suspended from the post with immediate effect by the Bishop of Mananthavady.
The police said a case was registered under IPC Section 376 and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the vicar. The victim's parents had lodged a complaint. The victim, a Plus One student, had given birth to a child three weeks ago.
The police said that Fr. Vadakkancheril abused the minor girl in the church. A DNA test would be conducted to prove the case scientifically, the police said.
P.K. Sreemathi, MP, who visited the family of the girl, said a comprehensive inquiry should be ordered. She also demanded that computers in the church be examined. She urged the government to immediately implement the decision to prepare a registry of sexual offenders.
Catholic bishops council expresses regret
The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) expressed regret over the incident.
In a release issued in Kochi, Varghese Vallikkatt, Deputy Secretary General and official spokesperson of the council, said that the church had taken a serious note of the sexual assault case involving the priest. People who are religious have to maintain physical, mental and spiritual sanctity, it said.
The church will ensure that the accused in such cases face the law of the land. In sexual assault cases, the church has a policy of zero tolerance, the release said.
