Trouble mounts for rape-accused Lingayat seer; Math students moved to govt dormitory
Protests by Dalit and student organisations were seen in parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, demanding Shivakumar’s immediate arrest. As one of the survivors is a Dalit, the seer was further accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
FollowStudents of the Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Math were moved to a government dormitory after the chief seer, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, was accused of sexually abusing two young girls who lived at there. Several parents took their kids home after the scandal erupted and the seer was booked under the Protecting Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
As one of the survivors is a Dalit, the chief seer was further accused on Tuesday, August 30, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Protests by Dalit and student organisations were seen in parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, demanding Shivakumar’s immediate arrest.
Two young girls who resided at the mutt's residential facility and are 15 and 16 years old, respectively, have accused Shivakumar of sexually abusing them. The survivors said in the police report that Shivamurthy had sexually attacked one of them over the previous 3.5 years and the other over the previous 1.5 years. The girls alleged that Shivakumar would summon them to his room on false pretences and sexually attack them. The females studied and resided on the math grounds.
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The Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated that the investigation would reveal the truth. "It is inappropriate for me to comment on the subject until the inquiry is complete. The cops are able to investigate at any time. The reality will surface.”
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru asserted that the accusations were the result of a protracted plot against him and suggested an inside job. He also pledged to prove his innocence in the matter.
The seer, who serves as the head of one of the state's Lingayat seminaries, also said that he was law-abiding and would cooperate with the investigation.
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