K’taka: NGO to hold protest against detention of rape victims’ mother in seer case | Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Mysuru-based NGO Odanadi will stage a protest on Friday to condemn the police for detaining the mother of two girls allegedly raped by Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru. The woman was detained on charges of conspiring to frame the former pontiff of the Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in fake cases.

Odanadi founders, KV Stanley and Parashurama ML, alleged that it has been a week since the woman, who was a former cook at the mutt, was taken away for questioning, and the police are trying to intimidate the victims from coming forward.

“It has been seven days since the police took the mother away. The government is making the victims suffer. This is not the way. They are not bringing it to the attention of the Court,” Parashurama said.

“Secondly, they are accusing the mother of lying. She had to see her daughters get raped and she is already emotially distressed. What the police are doing is illegal. They are curtailing the freedom of the mother. They don’t want anyone to come forward to file a complaint and they are sending a message this way,” Parashurama alleged.

The woman had filed a complaint under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, against the seer on October 13, accusing him of raping her two daughters for two years.

According to Chitradurga superintendent of police (SP) K Parashuram, the woman is being questioned on charges of conspiring with the mutt’s high school teacher Basavarajendra and NGO Odanadi to frame Sharanaru in the rape case.

They police have registered a case against the former cook, Basavarajendra, Odanadi and others, based on an audio clip that surfaced on social media — purportedly of a phone conversation where the woman was being provoked to file the case against Sharanaru. Last week, the district police arrested former administrator of the mutt, SK Basavarajan, and Basavarajendra in connection with the case.

The investigation is underway, the police had said, adding that a charge sheet will be submitted only if the accused committed the offence.

Odanadi co-founder Stanley said all pro-people organisations are protesting in support of the children and their parents. Organisations including Rajya Dalita Sangha, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and other women empowerment groups will be taking part in the protests.

“The agitation will start at 10:30am in front of the Mysuru High Court. We will march to the DC office and submit a memorandum. The investigation should happen in the right manner. The mother was taken away for questioning and it’s been almost a week,” Stanley said.

“If they had arrested the victim and produced before the Court, that would have been fine. We could have sought a lawyer’s help then. But they have taken her away saying they need information.”

“This should be addressed. The situation is such that we have to stand by those who have been wronged. We have been asking for a higher inquiry, by the CBI, into the allegations. But they do not want to do that. They are torturing these girls,” Parashurama alleged.

“First of all, it’s difficult to make the victims talk about the incident. We don’t know why they are doing this. If Basavarajendra has done something, let them hold him accountable. But what is the use of keeping this woman in custody? This shows that they don’t want people to support the victims,” Parashurama added.

Odanadi founders said that they have already written to the High Court regarding this and asked for a judicial inquiry. “If this continues, we are ready to go to the President and submit a memorandum,” Parashurama said.