A self-styled seer in Yadgir district has been booked under the Pocso Act after a video purportedly showing him inappropriately touching a seven-year-old girl at his shrine was circulated widely on social media, drawing public outrage, police said on Thursday.
“Notice has been issued to him. We will carry on with the investigation. The parents and the girl have recorded their statements; they did not find anything wrong in his touch, and they themselves recorded the video. However, the footage shows the child appearing uncomfortable. After counselling, the Child Welfare Committee recommended the registration of an FIR,” the Yadgir superintendent of police, Pruthvik Shankar said.
The accused, Mallikarjuna Muthya, 26, also known as Mallikarjun Mutya, runs the Mahal Roja Mutt in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district. Police registered the case after the video, recorded on February 19 at the mutt, surfaced online and drew criticism.
The footage purportedly shows the man seated inside the shrine in Shahapur with the girl sitting on his lap. He is seen kissing her while her parents stand nearby. Officials said the video was later uploaded on Instagram, reportedly to gain more attention on social media.
The girl’s parents, who are from Solapur in Maharashtra, had recorded and shared the video themselves. When questioned by officials, they said they did not initially consider his actions inappropriate..
{{/usCountry}}The girl’s parents, who are from Solapur in Maharashtra, had recorded and shared the video themselves. When questioned by officials, they said they did not initially consider his actions inappropriate..
{{/usCountry}}The video came to the attention of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), which took suo motu cognisance and sought a report from district authorities on the action taken.
Following the Commission’s directions, officials from the District Child Protection Office visited the mutt and recorded statements from the girl and her parents. Their findings were submitted to the district administration for review.
A district-level coordination committee headed by the deputy commissioner, and comprising senior officials including the superintendent of police and the chief executive officer of the Zilla Panchayat, examined the footage. The committee then directed the Child Welfare Committee to conduct a detailed inquiry.
After counselling the child and her family and interacting with them, the Child Welfare Committee concluded that there was prima facie evidence that the accused had intentionally touched the girl. Based on its recommendation, the Child Development Project Officer filed a formal complaint.
Police subsequently registered a case at Gogi police station under Section 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023, and Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
Officials said a notice has been served to the accused, and further investigation is underway. Authorities said the video and statements collected during the inquiry would form part of the evidence in the case.