Bengaluru: An influential religious leader of Karnataka’s politically powerful Lingayat community has been arrested and sent to judicial custody on charges of raping two minor girls.
The accused religious leader has been identified as Shivamurthy Sharanaru.
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He was arrested on Thursday night after massive pressure from civil society.
Two minor girls accusing him of rape filed a case last week.
Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, 64, is the head of the Murugha Math.
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The Murugha Math is one of the key Lingayat seminaries.
He has been booked under the case with sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and under the law protecting Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
As per reports, one of the victims is from the Dalit community.
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He was arrested at around 10:15 pm on Thursday which was after a series of protests in the day by civil society and various organisations across Karnataka’s Chitradurga and Mysuru districts.
After his arrest, he was immediately presented before the magistrate court and was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
The two minors accused the leader of abusing them sexually for years.