The rape of the 72-year-old nun had sparked demonstrations at a number of places, such as this peace march in Allahabad.
The 72-year-old nun raped during an assault on a convent school in West Bengal last week left hospital today and flew out of Kolkata to an unknown destination.
She left the hospital at Ranaghat at 2:20 in the morning, accompanied by church officials and some police. She requested a doctor accompany her as far as the airport, so a doctor went with her. The hospital said she has recovered completely.
Her departure from West Bengal comes a week after the assault on her, a week in which police has failed to arrest a single culprit though CCTV captured at least four faces and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was compelled to hand over investigation to the CBI.
In an assault that has shaken the country, the nun was raped by a man who was part of a group of at least six that broke into the Jesus and Mary Convent school at Ranaghat, about 100 km from Kolkata,
The men roamed around the school and damaged a bust of Jesus Christ in a chapel before breaking into the nuns' quarters. They locked the nuns were locked up in a room, dragged the 72-year-old nun, who was then raped by one of the men. They later decamped with about Rs 2 lakh which was in the office cupboard and some valuables from the chapel.
In hospital, the nun told those who met her that she had forgiven the man who raped her. "She forgives her oppressors. She is praying for everyone, including the oppressors. I was surprised she spoke with such serenity. Justice is, however, the concern of the society. The culprits should be brought to book," said Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.
Police have detained about a dozen men, but no arrests have been made.
It is not clear yet if the CBI will take over the case. The state government has written to the home ministry requesting it. But some reports suggest the government paperwork submitted is incomplete.