Kochi, Sep 12: Kerala MLA PC George on Wednesday apologised for calling a nun, who accused a Bishop of rape, a 'prostitute'. While he apologised for 'prostitute' remark, George said he stands by other allegations that he made against the nun. The independent MLA of the Poonjar constituency in the Kottayam district also said the woman is not a nun.

"According to me she isn't a nun. To refer to any woman as prostitute is wrong. I shouldn't have used that word. But I strongly stand by other statements that I made regarding that woman," George told news agency ANI. The legislator stoked a controversy on September 9 after he termed the rape victim nun a 'prostitute'. The nun has alleged that Jalandhar Bishop, Franco Mulackal raped her.

“No one has doubt that the nun is a prostitute. 12 times she enjoyed it and the 13th time it is rape? Why didn’t she complain the first time?” George had said, drawing sharp reactions from the National Commission for Women (NCW) and other outfits. Communist Party of India leader D Raja and, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Subhashini Ali also condemned George’s remark.

In a related development, the Kerala police filed an affidavit in high court in which cops said the nun was repeatedly raped by the Bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulackal. This comes to light just a day after the accused Bishop cried foul over the rape allegations against him, and accused 'anti-church elements' of falsely implicating him.

"During the course of the investigation so far conducted and the available evidences collected so far, it is revealed that the accused Bishop Franco committed unnatural offence and committed rape repeatedly on different dates," reads the affidavit. The nun had accused the 54-year-old priest of raping her on several occasions between 2014 and 2016.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2018 05:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).