Karnataka seer arrested for 'abusing' minors

Chitradurga, September 1

Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, the chief pontiff of Murugha Math booked for alleged sexual abuse of schoolgirls, was arrested on Thursday. He has been taken into custody by the police following interrogation, sources said, adding due procedures were being followed.

The Mysuru City police had on Saturday filed an FIR against the seer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and certain sections of the IPC. The FIR was registered against five persons, including the warden of the monastery’s hostel, based on the complaint by an officer of the District Child Protection Unit. The police questioned the warden earlier in the day.

Two girls had approached an NGO in Mysuru and narrated the alleged abuse, following which it approached the authorities and the case was registered. The case was subsequently shifted to Chitradurga, as it was the place of occurrence of the alleged crime. The seer claimed the allegations against him were part of a long-drawn conspiracy and that he was a law-abiding citizen.