Bengaluru Woman accuses Central Diocese Archbishop and his associate of harassment
Bengaluru: A woman on Thursday filed a complaint at Shivajinagar police station, alleging sexual harassment by Archbishop PK Samuel of the Central Diocese, Bengaluru, and one of his associates. The complaint came a day after she attempted suicide at a private hospital in the city, after confronting the Archbishop.
However, the Archbishop denied the allegations levelled by the woman, claiming that she had never met the woman before. Sowmya (name changed) told TNIE that she was repeatedly harassed by one Vinod Dasan, a close aide of the clergyman.
“Vinod has been harassing me over the past several years and I have filed several complaints against him, including atrocity and robbery cases. However, he continued to harass me, due to which I was forced to divorce my first husband,” she said.
Though she had decided to leave Bengaluru and stay with her in-laws in Salem, where she remarried a year ago, Vinod allegedly started harassing her again as soon as she returned to the city on January 13. “As soon as Vinod learnt that I had returned to my mother’s house, he came there and asked me to withdraw the cases. He also asked me to go along with my husband to meet a person at Trinity Church on January 21,” she said.
When Sowmya arrived at the Church with her husband, Vinod asked her to meet the Archbishop. When she was alone with the Archbishop outside his residence, he allegedly demanded that she withdraw the complaint against Vinod.
He promised her permanent employment in one of the institutes run by the Diocese, and also assured her money.
“Later, he put his hand around my shoulder and misbehaved with me. After I raised an alarm, he threatened me with dire consequences if I spoke about the incident,” she alleged.
Claiming that she was depressed after the shameful incident, she said that she had arrived at the hospital to confront the Archbishop, whose mother was undergoing treatment there on Wednesday. Soon after the confrontation, she consumed pesticide in the hospital, in an attempt to end her life.
She later filed a complaint with the city police.
Archbishop Samuel said that the allegations levelled against him were false and police were investigating the case.
To a question regarding his proximity with Vinod Dasan, he said that all devotees were close to the Archbishop.