Insight Bureau: Chitradurga police arrested Lingayat mutt seer Shivamurthy Murgha Sharanaru on Thursday evening for accusation sexual assault of minor girls. The head of the Jagadguru Murugharajendra Vidyapeetha in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district has been placed in judicial custody for 14 days.
The reports come just a week after a FIR was lodged against him for allegedly sexually abusing two minor girls who lived in the mutt’s hostel between 2019 and 2022. Chitradurga SP Parashurama K confirmed the seer’s arrest, telling IE, “We have arrested the seer, and procedures will be followed.” He’s being questioned right now.”
The pontiff has been taken into custody from the mutt around 10 p.m. on Thursday after meeting with his worshippers. He was later taken to the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police. The arrest comes after several entities and citizens staged a protest the government’s inaction against the seer. After it was revealed that one of the girls was a Dalit, several Dalit organizations demanded his arrest. Murugha applied for anticipatory bail on Thursday, and the hearing was postponed until Friday.
On August 26, Mysuru police had booked him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) Act and Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), that relates to rape. Charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also added.