The Mangaluru police commissioner has acknowledged lapses in an initial inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse of minor boys by a church priest, after investigators recorded the priest’s statement but did not speak to the alleged victims or their parents. An assistant commissioner of police (ACP)-rank officer has now been directed to examine the lapses and submit a report.
Father Cyprian Pinto, associated with St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, Mangaluru, was arrested on Sunday at a relative’s house in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The arrest came two days before a police inquiry conducted ahead of it came under scrutiny for concluding that the allegations could not be substantiated.
The inquiry was conducted by Mangaluru South police after child-protection authorities received complaints from parents concerned about their children’s safety. A report dated September 8 recorded the statements of the church administrator, the priest who succeeded Pinto and Pinto himself. It did not mention statements from the alleged victims or their parents.
According to the report accessed by The Indian Express, Pinto denied the allegations and said some parents and youngsters were unhappy with stricter disciplinary rules he had introduced at the church, including closing its gates at 7 pm. The church administrator also told police that some people had expressed dissatisfaction with the priest’s rules. The report concluded that allegations of abuse and mistreatment of minors had not been established.
The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Dakshina Kannada, had asked Mangaluru South police to investigate and submit a report after receiving communication about the allegations. The police findings were subsequently conveyed to the DCPU and submitted to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on September 16.
Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy told The Indian Express that the station-level inquiry had recorded the priest’s statement but not those of the victims or their parents. He said the case had been handed over to an ACP-rank officer to investigate the lapses in the initial inquiry. The commissioner also said police would contact other people who may have been affected and record their statements. The FIR currently names five victims.
The case has also raised questions about how the allegations were handled before the police complaint was registered. According to sources cited by The Indian Express, the children’s parents first approached the bishop with a written complaint in August. The diocese allegedly conducted an internal inquiry, after which Pinto was placed on administrative leave and moved from the church. Sources also alleged that he was moved between other locations linked to the diocese.
Under the POCSO Act, suspected sexual offences against children must be reported to the authorities as soon as they come to light. Stanly K V, founder of the Mangaluru-based NGO Odanadi, said he approached the police commissioner after supporters of the families brought the matter to the organisation’s attention. He has submitted an additional complaint seeking the inclusion of the bishop’s name in the FIR and an investigation into the alleged delay by church and government authorities.
The commissioner confirmed receipt of that complaint. He said police would examine the allegations, including questions about the period of the alleged offences, and make changes to the FIR if the ACP-level inquiry warrants them. The FIR presently records the alleged abuse as having taken place between August 14 and October 15, while the families’ accounts cited by the NGO indicate that the incidents may have occurred before August 14.
