A case of sexual harassment of minor girls led to the arrest of the Brihan Mutt seer.
Digital Desk: The seer of the Brihan Mutt in Chitradurga, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, was detained there late on September 1 six days after a POCSO Act complaint alleging sexual harassment of two young girls was made against him.
Chitradurga Police Superintendent K. Parashuram verified the situation and stated that the seer had been taken into custody in relation to the charges.
As activists and other organizations began questioning the police's tardiness in apprehending the seer, who is the head of a prominent Lingayat mutt in the state and has significant sway among the community, pressure for his arrest had been building.
Police officers entered the mutt's grounds on September 1 around 10 p.m., increased security surrounding the mutt, and arrested the seer.
The seer was present at the mutt all the time, with the exception of a few hours on August 29 when he was not. He had claimed that a "plot" had been created against him and that he would come clean.
It is the first time in Karnataka that the leader of a well-known Lingayat Mutt has been detained in connection with a case of sexual harassment of young girls.
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