75-Year-Old Priest Held for Molesting Minors

Times of India
February 16, 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/75-year-old-priest-held-for-molesting-minors/articleshow/18536414.cms

NAGPUR: A 75-year-old priest was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls aged 5 and 7 on Friday. A group of agitated women from Hazaripahad stormed the Gittikhadan police station on Saturday and demanded stern action against the accused Babulal Dwivedi.

The matter came to fore after one of Dwivedi's neighbours — the wife of a tailor whose shop is located across the temple — observed him sexually abusing one of the girls on February 8.

Four days later, on February 12, the stunned woman informed about the incident to a teacher of the school where the victim girls study. The teacher urged the 7-year-old victim to call her mother to the school and informed her about the incident. The student too corroborated what the eyewitness said.

The mother returned to the locality and spoke to the tailor's wife. The eyewitness also informed the aggrieved woman about another girl being victimized by Dwivedi.

The women initially approached a temple trustee over the issue but he — as the agitated women claim — tried to hush up the episode.

Priest sought alms from women

Babulal Dwivedi, temple priest, has been arrested after charges of sexually abusing minor girls were leveled against him. A temple trustee first tried to cover up the matter.

A group of irate women, along with some social workers of the area, then approached Gittikhadan police, who immediately rounded up Dwivedi.

It is learnt that Dwivedi would approach the girls waiting for school bus in front of the temple.

"On the day of incident, my daughter reached bus stop early," mother of the 7-year-old victim said. "The priest called her inside the temple on the pretext of giving her prasad. He then misbehaved with my daughter. She did not reveal fearing consequences," she claimed.

The mother of 5-year-old victim acknowledged that her daughter too was sexually abused by Dwivedi. "We want stringent punishment for the priest," she said.

Apart from the abused girls' mothers, some other women too came forth with complaints against Dwivedi. They alleged that Dwivedi used to deliberately visit seeking alms from women. "Such misconduct is not expected of a priest," said an elderly woman who had come to the police station to register her protest.

Former mayor and BJP corporator Mayatai Iwnate said that police should have charged the priest with rape.

Gittikhadan police station's senior police inspector CM Bahadure said that medical examinations of the girls do not suggest rape.