Seer tortures student for stealing pen at ashram, held

The accused has been booked under BNS Section 109 (attempt to murder) and the sections Juvenile Justice Act

The seer of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Ashram in Raichur has been arrested for allegedly torturing a nine-year-old student for allegedly stealing a pen, a police officer familiar with the matter said.

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has taken note of the case, expressing concern over the safety and welfare of children in such establishments. (File photo)

The officer said the incident took place on July 31 when the accused, identified as Venugopal, had noticed his pen missing. While inspecting the students to search for the pen, he allegedly found the pen with one of the students. After this, Venugopal allegedly thrashed the boy with belt and stick, bit his hand and then locked him in a dark room as punishment. The victim was a resident of Koppal and had been studying in the ashram from past one month.

The officer said the matter came to light when the victim’s brother, who was also a student in the ashram, noticed him missing for several days and informed his mother. When the mother came to the school to search for her younger son, she found him hurt and rushed him to a private hospital. She later filed a police complaint.

Raichur West Police Inspector B Chandrappa said: “Based on the complaint by the boy’s mother, we booked him under BNS Section 109 (attempt to murder) and the sections Juvenile Justice Act. We registered the case on Saturday and produced him before the JMFC court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.”

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has taken note of the case, expressing concern over the safety and welfare of children in such establishments.

Meanwhile, the police has temporarily closed the ashram and relocated its remaining residents to a safer facility.