Six days after the case of alleged sexual harassment of two minor girls was filed under POCSO Act against him, the seer of Brihan Mutt in Chitradurga, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, was arrested in Chitradurga late on September 1.
Superintendent of Police of Chitradurga K. Parashuram confirmed the development and said that the Chitradurga Police had arrested the seer in connection with the cases.
Pressure had been mounting on the police for his arrest as activists and several organisations had started questioning the delay in arresting the seer, who heads a prominent Lingayat mutt in the State, who wields considerable influence among the community. On September 1, after having beefed up the security around the Mutt, police officials entered the mutt premises after 10 p.m. and took the seer into custody.
