A first information report (FIR) has been lodged against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, seer and chief of Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga, and four others on the charge of sexually harassing minor girls who are residents of the hostel run by the mutt.
Two girls, who are now sheltered at Odanadi Seva Samsthe, an NGO engaged in rescue and rehabilitation of sexually-exploited women and children in Mysuru, appeared before the Mysuru district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on August 26 and made the statement detailing their alleged sexual harassment by the seer with the assistance of the hostel warden and three others.
Based on the directions of the CWC, the Legal and Probation Officer, Mysuru district Child Protection Unit, has lodged a complaint with the Nazarbad police station here. An FIR under various Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was filed late on Friday night.
