Police have arrested a Catholic priest and produced him before a court on allegations of confining a 14-year-old indigenous girl for three days and raping her.
Father Prodip Gregory, 41, parish priest of St. John Mary Vianney’s Church at Mundumala in Rajshahi was arrested on Tuesday evening, a police official confirmed.
“The priest was arrested on Tuesday evening and he has been produced before the court in Rajshahi after the elder brother of the victim filed a case. Police rescued the victim from a nun’s convent. She will be sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for medical tests,” Rakibul Hasan, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tanore Police Station, told media on Wednesday.
Swapan Hasdak, an ethnic Santal Catholic and the complainant, said his family demands justice for the abuse of his sister.
“We never imagined a priest could commit such a heinous offense. My sister is traumatized and the whole family is in grave shock. We want to see exemplary punishment,” he added.
“She went missing on September 26 after she left home to collect grass for cattle. We searched for her in various places frantically and filed a general diary to report her missing on September 27. The next day, a worker in the church told us they had seen her in the residence of the priests. I filed the case to get justice,” Hasdak, a primary school teacher, told media.
The incident drew attention of local and national media. Moreover, it created a storm on social media. Many expressed shock and demanded justice over the case.
Media reports alleged that there had been unsuccessful efforts from the church authority to settle the issue through arbitration.
Father Gregory was arrested at the bishop’s house in Rajshahi city and taken into police custody.
Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi said that although it is not yet clear “Who is telling the truth or who is lying” about what happened, the Church has taken swift action by suspending the accused from priestly ministries.”
“The priest claimed he was innocent, while the girl and local people said different things. The priest knows if he has committed the crime or not. From my side, I want to see the truth revealed and justice meted out to the offender. The priest won’t be reinstated if he can’t prove his innocence,” Bishop Rozario told media.
Bangladesh's Women and Child Repression (Prevention) Act 2000 classifies sexual intercourse with anyone below the age of 16 as rape even if it is consensual, with a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
