POCSO victim’s uncle booked for influencing her in mutt sexual abuse case

Chitradurga police register case against man pressuring POCSO victim to withdraw complaint accusing pontiff of sexual harassment.

Bengaluru: The Chitradurga police registered a case against a person for allegedly pressuring a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) victim against withdrawing her complaint where she accused Chitradurga’s Murugharajendra Bruhanmutt pontiff Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of sexually harassing her, police said.

POCSO victim’s uncle booked for influencing her in mutt sexual abuse case

The 15-year-old girl approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), alleging harassment by her uncle and family, who have been pressuring her not to testify against the alleged accused and withdraw her complaint.

Earlier, on May 24, her uncle filed a missing report, claiming the girl had gone missing from their house. However, the case took a turn after she appeared before the CWC to narrate her ordeal on Tuesday evening, police said.

After fleeing her house, the girl sought refuge at Mysuru-based NGO Odanadi, where she reported her uncle’s pressure. The partner organisation then brought her to the Mysuru CWC, where she filed a complaint against her uncle. Following the CWC’s instructions, she stayed at the organisation for a few days before being taken to Chitradurga and presented to the CWC there.

Stanley, a representative of the Odanadi organisation, told the media that the girl made serious allegations against her uncle. According to Stanley, “the girl claimed that supporters of the accused, Sharanaru, who is out on bail, are influencing her uncle and pressuring him, who in turn started harassing her to force her withdraw the case.”

The girl detailed her ordeal to the CWC, describing her physical and mental abuse. “The girl alleged that her uncle thrashed her, threatened to hang her and even poison her if she didn’t withdraw her complaint against Sharanaru. She ran to us for safety,” Stanley said.

“There was an organised effort to cover up the POCSO case. The girl was pressured not to testify against the accused and to withdraw her complaint. The girl also reported being denied education and not being allowed to sit for her exams,” Stanley said.

“Following the complaint of the Chitradurga district child protection unit, we have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 323 (causing hurt voluntarily), 324 (causing hurt with weapons), 504 (insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation with threats) against the girl’s uncle, B Thippe Swamy,” police inspector B Nanjunda Swamy told HT. “We are investigating the matter and will take appropriate action,” he added.

However, Murugharajendra Bruhanmutt has refuted the allegations. “Neither the mutt nor the pontiff have any connection with this incident,” SJM Mutt advocate B Umesh told HT. “I came to know about the incident through the media. It is an issue between the girl and her uncle, and we have no connection to this,” he added.