Karnataka: Pastor arrested for sexually assaulting minor girl; Banjara community protests

A church priest in Shivamogga was arrested for sexually assaulting a minor girl. The accused is a pastor who worked at a church attached to a college.

Published on: Jul 21, 2023, 16:08:13 IST

By Yamini C S

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In a shocking development, a church priest was arrested in Karnataka's Shivamogga for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. The accused, identified as Father Francis Fernandes, is a 49-year-old pastor who was working at a church that is attached to a pre-university college.

The girl, who is from a minority community, was studying at the pre-university college which was affiliated to the church. (HT)

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The minor girl, who is from a minority community, was studying at the pre-university college, news agency PTI reported. Police from the 'Kote' (fort) police station have registered a case against the pastor under Section 3 of POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) and Section 8 and 12 of the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2016, police sources told the agency.

The pastor, a native of Shivamogga, used to teach at the college and was also the principal of the college, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the district, Balaraju, said. He is now being kept in judicial custody, Balaraju added.

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“The Father was produced before the court and sent for 14 days judicial custody,” a police official said. Reacting to this, members of the Banjara community staged a protest outside the police station in Shivamogga, visuals of which were shared by news agency ANI.

The community raised slogans demanding justice for the minor girl and action against the priest.

(With agency inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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