The priest, who is absconding, branded the victim as 'a dubious character' and also blamed her family in the video; earlier, videos of a group of church priests raping the woman were being used to blackmail her
A Kerala priest of a church, who is accused of raping a woman, is in fresh trouble after he posted a video on YouTube recently.
Father Abraham Varghese, the main accused in a case of rape of a married woman in Kerala, has now blamed the victim, calling her a “dubious character”.
The victim has filed a new complaint against Father Varghese for defaming her in the video.
The victim was raped and molested by a group of priests of Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church in Thiruvalla -- and then blackmailed using video clips of the forced sexual acts.
Father Varghese, who is absconding, made an appearance in a video posted on YouTube hours before the Supreme Court was about to hear his anticipatory bail plea on 19 July. The apex court rejected his bail plea.
In the video, the priest defended himself and abused the victim and her family. He questioned the woman’s character. And he also revealed the victim’s husband’s name.
The video had gone viral on social media and netizens had attacked the Christian priest. The video has since been taken down by him.
A prominent women's rights activist in Kerala questioned the priest’s intentions and backed the victim. “If the priest is so innocent, he should appear in the court and face the law. He is scared and that is why he has posted a video on Youtube. He has hit a new low by questioning the victim’s character,” the activist, who did not want to be named, said.
The victim’s husband had complained to the police, accusing four priests of the church named above of sexually harassing his wife for over 10 years after she made a confession to one of them.
The police have started a probe to identify the source of the video. The cyber cell is also investigating the matter.
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