Kottayam (Kerala), Jan 19 (IANS): The four nuns, who publicly protested last year demanding rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal's arrest, and were handed transfer orders three days back, on Saturday sought Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's intervention in the matter.

The nuns, who are presently attached to a Kuruvilangad convent near here, have been posted at four different places vide the transfer order issued on Wednesday.

In the letter, they requested Vijayan to see to it that the transfer orders were revoked as their only agenda was their wish to remain with the victim, who was yet to receive any sort of support from the Church and was only banking on them.

Seeking the intervention, they pointed out that these transfers were effected as they were all witnesses in the case against the then Roman Catholic Diocese head in Paunjab's Jalandhar, Bishop Mulakkal, who is accused of raping the victim nun repeatedly between 2014 and 2016.

Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018, on rape charges after these four nuns joined the public protest in Kochi that forced the police to succumb to pressure from various quarters and take strong action against the bishop.

The nuns on Wednesday refused to accept the transfer orders and said they would remain in the convent at Kottayam, where they are currently posted.

Following the transfer orders though, the Mother Superior of the Missionaries of Jesus -- the congregation to which these nuns are attached to -- have gone on record to say that this was just a routine transfer that happened regularly.

Mulakkal had secured bail on October 16, 2018, and was back in Punjab.