CHITRADURGA: Police inquiry has shown that rape-accused Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murthy Murugha Sharanaru allegedly drugged young girls living in the Chitradurga Murugha Mutt before abusing them. The accused seer, who is currently in detention, used to instruct other suspects to send a young girl of their choice to his private room each day in the pretence of seeking his special blessings.
The abuse was so pervasive that the seer allegedly established a schedule for which girl would be brought to him on which day. The accused would feed the kids a drug-laced chocolate or apple as they cleaned his private room. The seer would mistreat them after they passed out. The accused seer kept the victims overnight in his personal space. According to police sources, when kids wake up naked, the seer next to them reacts in shock.
The accused seer would then frighten them and threaten them. If the girls told their family about the incident, he also threatened to kill them. Police stated that the victims, who were already traumatised, would not speak.
The seer would abuse them while taking a bath and urge them to clean his lower back and back. Hostel warden, the second defendant in the case, would keep an eye on things and make sure that nobody started to wonder what was going on around them.
Sharanaru would seek out victims of sexual abuse and provide shelter at his mutt. He also offered their families financial support. The families would then laud the seer and refer to him as "God."
As the news circulated, parents had little concern for the security of their kids. The children would be told that the "God" himself looks after them. According to investigators, this made the victims even less willing to talk. The police have information that the alleged seer has also violated other elderly women. One of the young victims who posed a threat was slain and the cause of death was apparently an accident.
The victims were picked because of their unfortunate backgrounds. Daughters of lone parents or orphans were preferred. According to police sources, if they refused to go to his room, they were harshly punished, starved, and detained. The two charge sheets that were given to the court against the accused seer and others contain the majority of the details.
The first POCSO and Atrocity case against the seer was filed on August 26. On October 13, a second case involving similar provisions was brought. After a dramatic incident, the suspected seer was taken into custody on September 1. A team met with the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to discuss the nomination of a new pontiff while the accused is refusing to relinquish his position as the head of the Chitradurga mutt. According to insider sources, the accused seer has complete authority over the mutt and makes all choices.
On Monday, district commissioner Divya Prabhu is anticipated to provide the government a report on the Chitradurga mutt's operations.
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