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INDIA-CRIME-RAPE-RELIGION
Four Indian priests accused of rape, blackmail
NEW DELHI, July 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indian police said Tuesday they are
investigating four Christian priests for allegedly raping and blackmailing a
woman in a cycle of abuse and threats lasting almost 20 years.
The woman told police that her ordeal began while still a minor in the
1990s when an Orthodox priest at a church in the southern state of Kerala
forced her into sex.
She confessed to a second priest, who allegedly blackmailed her into
having sex with him. A further two two priests also threatened her and forced
her into sex, the woman, who has not been named, told investigators.
“We filed a case on Monday based on her complaint. We have now started our
investigation,” local police official S. Sreejith told AFP.
Her alleged suffering only came to light after an audio clip of her
husband complaining to a church official went viral on social media, media
reports said.
The Christan community in India, as elsewhere around the world, has been
rocked by sexual abuse allegations.
Last year, a pastor accused of raping two women on the pretext of driving
out evil spirits was arrested in eastern India.
In 2016, an Indian priest was sentenced to 40 years in prison for raping a
12-year-old girl.
Christianity is India’s third-biggest religion according to the 2011
census, with approximately 28 million followers or 2.3 percent of the
population.
Sexual violence is rife in India with nearly 40,000 rape cases reported in
2016, which activists say is the tip of the iceberg as most cases go
unreported.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1440 hrs