Days after Pocso case, police yet to arrest Chitradurga seer

The mutt is among the most influential religious centres for the politically influential Lingayat community, believed to be the single largest caste group in Karnataka.

The Karnataka police, investigating the sexual abuse allegations levelled by two minor girls against the head seer of a mutt in Chitradurga district, are yet to make any arrest in the case even as the complainants recorded their statement before a magistrate, a senior officer said on Monday.

Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru has been booked for allegedly sexually exploiting two girls studying in schools being operated by the mutt and living in its hostel. (ANI)

As activists question the delay in the police action, the seer on Monday evening applied for anticipatory bail before the Chitradurga district and sessions judge. The court is yet to take up the matter.

Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, the head seer of Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in Chitradurga, has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly sexually exploiting two girls studying in schools being operated by the mutt and living in its hostel.

The mutt is among the most influential religious centres for the politically influential Lingayat community, believed to be the single largest caste group in Karnataka.

When asked about the delay in action against the chief pontiff, a senior police officer said the case was “complicated”.

“There is a counter case of sexual exploitation filed by the warden of a hostel (run by the mutt) against a former administrator, who was sacked from the mutt management a few days ago,” said the officer, requesting anonymity. “We want to ensure that the allegations are true. The arrest of the seer could lead to law-and-order issues… we are doing everything as per the provisions of the law.”

On Monday, the accused seer broke his silence over the issue, claiming it was part of a long-drawn conspiracy against him and vowed to come out clean. He also hinted at an inside job to frame him in the case of sexual abuse of high school girls.

“This is not the first time that there has been a conspiracy against the mutt but it has been there for the last 15 years,” Shivamurthy told a gathering of his disciples at the mutt. “These conspiracies stayed within the mutt but now have come out.”

Earlier in the day, the pontiff was stopped at Bankapura in Haveri district by the Chitradurga police from travelling to Maharashtra on a suspicion that he was trying to flee. A police officer familiar with the development said after enquiring with the seer about his travel, he was asked to return to his home district.

There were also rumours of his arrest or detention, following which a mutt official clarified that the seer was neither trying to flee nor detained, but he had gone to Haveri to meet an advocate.

Addressing his followers and reporters at the mutt, the chief pontiff said:

“I am not going to run away but will respect the law of the land. I will come out clean from the allegations and let the case reach its logical end.”

The mutt operates within the law, the seer said.

“We created a community of students and we look after them. People come to us with faith and we respect the law. No one is running away, we respect the law of the land,” he said, adding, “There is a logical end to things, we must separate fact from fiction.”

Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lehar Singh Siroya demanded thorough and impartial investigation in the case, calling it “extremely shocking and sad”.

“Each time something like this happens, it shakes our confidence in our own surroundings and in our own people. As a society, we owe it to ourselves that these allegations are probed thoroughly and impartially,” Siroya, a member of Rajya Sabha, told reporters on Monday. “The Karnataka government and all political parties have to ensure that there are no pulls, pressures, politics and interference in this case. The girls deserve nothing but justice.”

If needed, the case should be transferred outside of Karnataka, the senior BJP leader said.

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra however, feigned innocence over the issue.“I don’t know and cannot say anything about it,” Jnanendra said to a question on if the seer should be arrested or not.

He said that the “police will carry on investigations according to the procedures and the government will remain out of the entire probe and not give instructions on what action to be taken or what sections to be imposed.”

The Mysuru city police on Saturday filed a first information report (FIR) against the seer under the Pocso Act and certain sections of the IPC, for alleged sexual abuse of high school girls. The FIR, a copy of which HT has seen, was registered against a total of five people, based on the complaint by an official of the District Child Protection Unit.

The other four named in the FIR are — Shivamurthy Murugha, the hostel warden, Akkamahadevi Rashmi, a follower of the mutt, Parashivaiah Basavaditya, a mutt official, and lawyer Gangadharaiah. The case, which was filed in Mysore’s Nazarbad police station, was later transferred to Chitradurga, where the mutt is based.

Two girls had approached a non-governmental organization, ‘Odanadi Seva Samsthe’, in Mysuru and narrated the alleged abuse they had gone through, following which it approached the authorities and the case was registered by the police.

Raghavendra, a human rights activist, said he has petitioned the governor seeking a probe by a high court judge. “The seer is the accused no. 1 in the Pocso case and he has not been arrested even after four days,” said the activist. “We don’t want any kind of interference or undue influence by the government or any community.”

Murugha Mutt advisory committee member NB Vishwanath had earlier said the charges against the pontiff were “far from the truth”. He also alleged that the mutt’s administrative officer SK Basavarajan, a former MLA, was behind the charge.

On Sunday, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the investigation was on in the case while refusing to make any other comments regarding the allegations against the pontiff.

“The police have complete freedom; they will investigate and the truth will come out,” he had said.

Former chief minister and a prominent Lingayat leader BS Yediyurappa, however, had backed Shivamurthy Sharanaru claiming the charges against the seer were false. “It is a false charge. There is no truth in it and after the completion of the investigation, he will come out clean,” said the senior BJP leader.

“We have been told not to comment on the matter,” at least two persons from the Congress, aware of the developments, said. JD(S) leader, HD Kumaraswamy said that the issue should not be glorified. “Under the ambit of the law, we might get some answers in the coming days.The religious issues should not be dragged out,” he said.