Father Kuriakose Kattuthara was found dead in his room Monday. Police believe he died of natural causes, but have not ruled out foul play yet.
Chandigarh: Punjab Police Monday said a priest of the Jalandhar diocese who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, this morning, could have died of a heart attack or a stroke. But police said they did not rule out any foul play as a post-mortem was yet to be conducted.
Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, found dead in his room at the Saint Paul’s School in Dasuya, was a key witness in a case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is accused of raping a Kerala nun.
SSP Hoshiarpur J. Elanchezhian said prima facie it seems that Kattuthara, 61, died of natural causes.
Elanchezhian said Kattuthara had eaten Sunday afternoon after which he remained confined in his room. He is believed to have told his caretaker that he was not feeling well and did not want to be disturbed.
“When he was found this morning we found that the food was vomited through his nose. A board of doctors has been constituted to assess the exact reason of the death. The post-mortem will take place tomorrow once his relatives arrive,” the SSP said.
Earlier in the day, Jalandhar Range IG Naunihal Singh told ThePrint that “it could be a heart attack or a stroke”.
“From the initial reports that have been gathered, the Father was found dead in his bed and seems to have vomited. He was shifted to the Dasuya Civil Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” Singh said. “He was diabetic and had informed the staff that he was not feeling well.”
Kattuthara’s family in Kerala suspect he was murdered, and approached the Punjab Police to lodge a formal complaint.
Also read: Why Bishop Franco Mulakkal is among the most powerful Christians in Punjab
Family’s allegation
Kattuthara’s brother Jose said the priest was under threat for speaking out against the Bishop, who is among the most powerful Christians in Punjab and is wooed by political parties across the board.
His family has even approached the police in Alappuzha, Kerala, to lodge a formal complaint.
Kattuthara was among the few in the Jalandhar diocese to support the nun. On 25 April, Kattuthara was relieved of his post of parish priest at Bhogpur, Jalandhar, and transferred to Dasuya in Hoshiarpur where was to assist on Sundays and Holidays of obligation.
Mullakal had returned to Jalandhar last week after the Kerala High Court granted him conditional bail.
What Jalandhar diocese says
On Monday afternoon, the diocese issued a statement, saying: “Bishop Franco Mulakkal and Bishop Agnelo Gracias have expressed sadness over the sudden demise of Fr. Kuriakose Kattuthara. He was found dead in his personal room in the morning of 22nd October 2018.
“He was instrumental in preparing the Punjabi Missal for the local Church. His sudden death has left a big sorrow to the Jalandhar Presbyterium and Religious Men and Women and People of God. Hearty Condolences,” the statement read.
Kattuthara had served the diocese for more than 30 years as a vocational trainer. He was among the first spiritual directors of the Missionaries of Jesus, Jalandhar, a diocesan congregation under Mulakkal. The nun who has accused the bishop too had served at the Missionaries of Jesus before shifting to Kerala.
Allegation against Mulakkal
In June, the Kerala nun alleged that Mulakkal had raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016 during his visits to the state. The bishop denied the charges, claiming that “anti-church” forces were bent upon bringing a bad name to the institution.
On 19 July, Kattuthara in an interview to Malyalam channel Mathrubhumi News alleged that attempts were being made to hush up the case. He said several nuns had left the church because of the bishop.
Also read: These are the Christian priests accused of rape across Kerala churches
Kattuthara was considered to be close to Symphorian Thomas Keeprath, the first Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese. Sources say that although Keeprath had brought Mullakal into the Jalandhar diocese, the two began to have differences. Keeprath died in May 2015.
Mullakal was arrested in the rape case on 21 September and was released on bail by the Kerala High Court on October 15. The diocese organised a grand welcome for him on his arrival from Kerala last week.
Almost 2,000 supporters led by employees of the various educational and charitable institutions controlled by the diocese came in buses from across the state to show solidarity with the bishop.
Cancelling Mr Mullakal’s bail would send out a very reassuring message. 2. This is how the CBI gets overburdened. The local police is fully competent to probe a complaint of this nature. However, when doubts arise about its impartiality, demands are raised that the investigation should be transferred to the CBI. More often than not, the state government blinks.