Muruga Mutt case: Victims of alleged sexual assault by seer record statement before magistrate

A case lodged has been lodged against Muruga Mutt head Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru and three others, including a woman warden of the hostel of the mutt where the girls lived, by the Mysuru police on August 26 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, and section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape.

Two girls, aged 16 and 15, told members of the state Child Welfare Committee they were sexually assaulted between January 1, 2019, and June 6, 2022. The girls were students of a school run by the mutt in Chitradurga and were residents of a hostel there. They left the mutt hostel in July.

On Monday, the second additional district and sessions court in Chitradurga issued notices to the legal officer of the Mysuru district Child Protection Unit, who filed the police complaint against the seer, and the minor girls after Shivamurthy Murga Sharanaru sought anticipatory bail. The sessions court has posted the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea of the head pontiff of the Murugarajendra Mutt to September 1.

The Chitradurga police are yet to officially question the seer in the case although he was briefly in their care on Monday morning. There is an apprehension of political interference in the case as the seer enjoys political support across the state and the Chitradurga region where the mutt is located. There have been calls to move the case out of Chitradurga to facilitate a fair investigation.

There is also growing pressure on the Karnataka Police to arrest the seer in the wake of the allegations. With one of the victims being identified as a Dalit, several Dalit groups have staged protests in Chitradurga demanding the seer’s arrest. The BJP government is wary protests may during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Dakshina Kannada region on September 2.

The former chief minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa has claimed that the charges against the seer are false. “There is no truth in it. After the completion of the investigation he will come out clean,” Yediyurappa said. The seer belongs to the Lingayat community which views Yediyurappa as its main political leader.

“A POCSO case is registered and there is a kidnapping case as well. The police have registered two cases and are investigating the matter. In this situation, it would be inappropriate to comment. The police have full independence to investigate and the truth will come out,” said Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai two days ago.