Itanagar: A 22-year old girl student has filed a complaint accusing the Director of the Don Bosco Youth Centre, Father Cyriac Pulinthanathumalayil at Itnagar, Arunachal Pradesh of molestation. An FIR has been registered on the girl’s complaint.
In her FIR, the victim wrote, “On 12 June at around 8 pm, Father Cyriac called me to a small veranda near the dining hall and, in the name of teaching, overpowered me and touched my private parts. Since my mobile phone was taken over by them and the gate of our campus was closed, I couldn’t inform my parents.”
“Again, on 13 June at around 10 am, when I was studying in the Tadar Taniang Hall, Father Cyriac came and picked up the particular book namely ‘Called to climb higher’ and told me that this book is written by one of the Catholic Father and you should study it. Thereafter, he has taken me to chapter 2 of that book that is basically about partner for life and mental and physical relationship between male and female. Further, he specifically took me to page-37 of that book wherein heading ‘sexual intercourse on the sex act’ is discussed and by making so he tried to sexually assault me by the mode of arousing me through the book. I reacted against him by sensing his ill motive,” she stated in her FIR.
“On 14 June, when I somehow gathered the courage to inform the matter to my parents, Father Cyriac snatched my mobile phone. In the evening my mother came to visit me, however, I was expecting my father so that I can tell misdeeds of Father Cyriac as I am more close to my father. Therefore, at around 6.15 pm, I took a small mobile from our cook through his son and called my father and informed him about the incident.”
“Thereafter, as my father didn’t arrive at the time I was expecting him, I ran out of the campus and informed the police at beat Post in Ganga area and that police came to our campus with me. But it was found that Father Cyriac, locked himself from inside and he was only made to come out on the arrival of Magistrate,” the victim’s said in the FIR
Fr Cyriac was arrested by the police on June 14 after a verbal complaint from the victim and was later released on bail on June 16.
Itanagar women police station officer-in-charge inspector P Taku told media that a case under section 354 of the IPC has been registered against Fr Cyriac and the matter is under investigation.
Post the bail of the accused priest, a youth close to the victim brought the issue to light on social media demanding justice.
