A priest from Kerala, identified as Father Biju Joseph, landed in Meghalaya police net on Friday night on charges of being involved in molesting a woman on a night bus from Shillong to Tura.
A report published on Saturday by TNT quoted Meghalaya’s North Garo Hills police as saying that the accused priest was caught and beaten up by the passengers of the night bus after the woman made hue and cry after being molested.
According to the report, the incident took place inside the bus in Assam and the passengers of the bus waited until they enter Meghalaya side and handed over the priest to the police at Bajengdoba in Garo Hills on Friday night itself.
The accused priest, who belonged to the Guwahati Provincial of the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales (MSFS) congregation, is now based at SFS School in Nangalbibra.
He currently serves at Sumonpara Parish in South Garo Hills (SGH) district of Meghalaya.
As per the FIR lodged by the passengers, the accused priest while coming from Shillong to Tura on a bus on Friday night allegedly tried to hold the hand of a female passenger who was sitting next to him.
It has been reported that the incident took place after the bus left Paikan at midnight.
The woman, who was allegedly molested by the priest, is 27 years old.
The victim, who works in the health department, raised an alarm when the accused tried to touch her and the accused was immediately caught by her fellow passengers.
The passengers also slapped the accused priest before he was handed over to the police at North Garo Hills.
