Karnataka: Lingayat seer, accused of sexual assault of school girls, arrested

Amid a snowballing controversy, Karnataka police arrested Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru. The chief pontiff of Murugha Math was arrested on charges of allegedly sexually abusing school girls.

An FIR was filed against Sharanaru on 27 August 2022 after two girls contacted an NGO in Mysuru, and claimed that they had been sexually abused. The NGO had approached authorities and filed a complaint.

The religious leader has been booked under sections from POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the Indian Penal Code, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Sharanaru has called the allegations a part of a long-drawn conspiracy against him. He had said that he was a law-abiding citizen, and would cooperate with the investigation.

The gap between the registration of FIR and his arrest had sparked protests in Karnataka.

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