Jharkhand priest accused of raping Catholic school cook, forcing abortion
A woman employed at a Catholic missionary school in Jharkhand has accused a priest associated with the institution of repeatedly raping her, forcing her to undergo an abortion and threatening her when she resisted.
The accused, identified as Joseph Soren, is also the principal of St Alphonsa School and has reportedly been absconding since the allegations came to light.
According to the complaint, the woman was called to Tilabad Mission in Jharkhand’s Godda district after being offered a job as a cook. She said the priest later intimidated her and repeatedly raped her.
The woman said that she became pregnant following the repeated assaults, after which the priest gave her medication to terminate the pregnancy. She subsequently suffered excessive bleeding and was taken to a private hospital in the district for treatment.
However, the procedure to clear her uterus reportedly led to further bleeding, causing her condition to deteriorate and become critical, following which she had to be given a transfusion of one unit of blood at the hospital.
According to her complaint, she was informed that around Rs 60,000 had been spent on her treatment. She also added that the priest later threatened to recover the amount from her, saying he had incurred considerable medical expenses.
She further accused the priest of threatening to dismiss her from her job if she refused to undergo the procedure.
The incident took place in the Assembly constituency represented by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, adding to the sensitivity surrounding the allegations.
Meanwhile, Godda Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar declined to comment on the case on camera. Police have so far made no detailed public statement on the allegations.
Godda Sub-Divisional Police Officer Akash Bhardwaj confirmed to India Today that an FIR had been registered and the matter was under investigation.
“There is a case involving a suspect who is the father of the mission. An incident was reported in the Sundarpahari police station area, and the investigation is underway. We have just started the investigation,” he told India Today, adding that no further details could be shared at this stage.
The case has also triggered a political reaction, with Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth accusing the Jharkhand government of remaining silent on crimes against tribal women.
Claiming that the woman in the case belonged to a tribal community, Seth described the incident as a “stark example of the atrocities being inflicted on tribal daughters” in Santhal Pargana in a post on X.
He alleged that tribal women in the region had been repeatedly targeted by infiltrators and that their lands had been encroached upon. “It is extremely unfortunate that the Jharkhand government, which claims to speak for tribal interests, maintains silence on these issues,” he said, also criticising ministers and MLAs for not speaking out.
Calling for “the strictest possible action” against those responsible, Seth said the “cruel joke” being played with Jharkhand’s tribal daughters in the name of “Abua Raj” must end. He also tagged Godda Police, Jharkhand Police and the National Commission for Women in his post.- EndsInputs by Santosh Bhagat
