In order to save the Church and the now accused priest from disgrace, the father of the minor girl who was raped, reportedly agreed to take the blame.
The father's statement on the Kerala rape scandal which broke out last week, gave a new twist to the tale. According to an Indian Express report, the father of the 16-year-old, who was allegedly raped and impregnated by Fr Robin alias Mathew Vadakkancheril, has said, "The priest betrayed our family and our faith in the Church. After my daughter delivered the baby, he wanted someone to take responsibility for the birth. How could I find someone for this job? Finally, I had to falsely state that I was the father of my daughter’s baby. As a believer, I also wanted to avoid the disgrace falling on the priest and the Church."
The father was initially arrested for raping his own daughter and would have faced a jail term, fearing which he decided to spill the beans. The police arrested Vadakkancheril and registered a case against him and eight other people, including two nuns, for helping in covering up the issue. They were charged with non-bailable offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO).
Though the girl was raped in May 2016, the incident came to light only on February 25, when child line received an anonymous letter with details of the occurrence. The case was brought to the notice of Kelakam Police Station on the same evening and a woman police officer met the victim on February 28 and recorded her statement.
In her initial statement, the victim had said that her own father had committed the crime.
On getting the information, Vadakkancheril had absconded from the location, but was later located and arrested by the police.
(With agency inputs)
