Chitradurga: Probe begins in POCSO case against Lingayat Seer

Team Udayavani, Aug 29, 2022, 8:37 AM IST

Chitradurga: The probe into the POCSO case filed against Murugha Mutha seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru has begun.

A complaint filed in Mysuru alleges that Murugha Matha seer had sexually harassed the high school girls, who were residing in a hostel run by the Matha. The two girls ran away from the hostel to file a complaint against Murugha Mutt seer, the complaint says.

According to PTI, the FIR has been registered in total against five people, including the warden of the monastery’s hostel, based on the complaint by an officer of the District Child Protection Unit.

The girls are said to have approached ‘Odanadi Seva Samsthe’, a non-governmental organisation based in Mysuru, and narrated the abuse they had gone through during the counselling, following which it approached the authorities and the case was registered by the police, the PTI report added.

After the news of the FIR spread, devotees, well-wishers of Swamiji, and people’s representatives from different places reached the Math on Sunday and held talks with the seer. Devotees also held a protest alleging a conspiracy had been hatched to tarnish the image of the seer.

It is said that secret parlays were held with the seer, which have raised many eyebrows.

Meanwhile, the girls, who had filed a complaint, were brought to Chitradurga from Mysuru late on Saturday night by the representative of the Odanadi Seva Samsthe, the police, and members of the child welfare committee. The girls were kept under tight police guard at the Bal Mandir here.

On Sunday, the Women’s police PSI recorded the statement of the minor girls. Thereafter, in the evening they were brought to the district hospital for medical examination. The parents of the victims were also summoned for recording their statements.

Objections were raised to the exclusion of the representative of the Odanani while recording statements from the children. Finally, as per the request of the children, the representative of Odanadi was allowed to be present, sources said.