HVK Archives: Discrepancies in nun rape case continue to vex police
Discrepancies in nun rape case continue to vex police - The Observer
Imran Khan
()
February 13, 1999
Title: Discrepancies in nun rape case continue to vex police
Author: Imran Khan
Publication: The Observer
Date: February 13, 1999
The Catholic nun rape case would seem to be concocted and part of
a greater conspiracy if one is to believe the version of Maheswar
Ojha, who knows Jacqueline Mary, the nun allegedly raped on
February 3 evening inside a moving car by two men posing as
women.
For the last two years, Maheswar Ojha has been an attendant at
the Ranjan Dental Clinic which caters to workers Of the 104-year
old Krushnachandrapur Catholic Church, which has around 5,000
members.
Ojha claimed that he saw Sister Jacqueline Mary who hails from
Tamil Nadu board a bus on February 3 run by the Jai Maa Durga Bus
Service, which operates between Baripada and Bambra, near the K C
Circle. Also Ojha saw her getting down from a bus near the
Krushnachandranagar Church.
When asked, he said that the nun was a regular visitor to the
dental clinic and there was to be no mistake in recognising her.
"She even visited the clinic on February 3," he claimed.
However according to the FIR lodged by the nun with the police,
she was picked up by two men posing as women near a bus stop in
Baripada town, where she was waiting for a bus to return to the
Church. "I was told by an old lady that somebody was calling me
from an Ambassador car standing nearby. I went up to the car to
inquire. The two 'ladies' sitting in the car offered to drop me
at Krushnachandrapur. I got into the car as I wanted to get back
in time. When the car reached the outskirts of Baripada town, I
realised that the two 'ladies' were actually men in disguise.
They overpowered me and raped me."
Nimon Parida, the conductor of the bus run by the Satyanarayan
Bus Service, which operates between Baripada and Balasore, said
that no such nun had boarded their bus between Baripada and
Garhdeulia on February 3 evening.
"Only one nun had boarded our bus at the Baripada municipal bus
stand at 5.45 pm and got down at Garhdeulia. I could not
recognise the nun as her face was covered with a scarf," he
maintained.
The nun has said in her FIR that she boarded a Balasore-bound bus
late evening at the Baisinga bus stand. During that time, only
the bus run by the Satyanarayan Bus Service operates on the
route. Strangely, the nun lodged her FIR after 24 hours of the
incident. This is something which has been disclaimed by the
Father of the village Church, Kachupurackal Roy.
According to him, she could not lodge her FIR as she was deeply
shocked at that time. "She took time to prepare herself to lodge
the FIR," he added.
According to the FIR, she went to Baripada Municipal Bus Stand
from the Saratchandra Vidyapeeth by ricksaw, from where she was
picked up by the car. It's strange why she did not think of
taking a bus from a stop within 50 m of Saratchandra Vidyapeeth.
Besides, why did she choose to burn her undergarments she had
worn at the time of the alleged rape?
Several people in Bada Bazar in the town said that the alleged
rape appeared more to be a concocted story rather than a real
shocking incident.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr P C Das, said if the
reports appearing in the local newspaper were to be authentic,
there were no indications of rape. "The final medical
examination report has not found indication of rape, according to
the reports in the local newspapers," he added.
People in the town have pointed towards several discrepancies in
the alleged rape, making it a mockery with no accused arrested
till date even after interrogation of over 40 persons by the
police.
The Father of the Krushnachandrapur village Catholic Church,
Kachupurackal Roy, said that the only witness was the victim
herself. Earlier, the Father had raised his finger towards the
"communal Hindu outfit" for the nun rape case.
But when asked by The Observer of Business and Politics, he said
that it was too early to conclude that any communal organisation
was behind the incident. When asked about his earlier remark,
the Father chose to remain silent and tried to divert the issue.
He said it was wrong to talk more about the case as it was being
investigated. "Let's wait. The police will inquire and come out
with the truth," he told.
The conspiracy angle in the case is also gaining support. It is
being presumed by a many in the area that "conspiracy" was
hatched to malign the image of the BJP-led Government at the
Centre and optimise pressure on the Congress high command to
replace the state Chief Minister, Mr J B Patnaik, who has
"failed' to check the increasing attacks on the Christians in the
state.
The Chief Minister has however ultimately been forced to submit
his resignation to the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, owning
moral responsibility for the recent attacks on the Christians in
the state.
Mr P C Das, DSP (Crime), Baripada, maintained that the alleged
nun rape case investigation might reveal the conspiracy aspect,
if any.
According to the Police Chief of the Mayurbhanj district, Mr
Pradeep Kapoor, over 60 people, including local taxi drivers, had
been interrogated, but no substantial evidence has emerged and
the police have no clues to build the case upon.
With little evidence available on the Catholic Church nun rape
case and more and more confusion creeping in, the whole incident
is fast getting murkier.
The police officials have not come up with substantial evidence
even after a week.
Mr P C Das, heading the investigation team, admitted that there
were some inconsistencies in the case.
According to the police officials, there is no trace of
involvement of the "communal organisations" in the area. "It is
mainly a fear psychosis created by vested interests," admitted a
senior police official at Baripada.
Around the Krushnachandrapur village, 16 km away from Baripada
town, there are over a dozen villages dominated by Hindus,
tribals and Harijans.
Investigation done by The Observer of Business and Politics
correspondent between Baripada and Krushnachandrapur, no trace
was found about the existence of the Bajrang Dal, not to talk
about their activities.
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