Charge sheet against Kalladka, Raghaveshwara Bharathi

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has filed a charge sheet against Hosanagara Ramachandrapura Mutt seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami, Putturu Havyaka Valaya President Bonantaya Shivashankar Bhat and RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat in connection with the suicide of Shyam Prasad Shastry in 2014.

Shyam Prasad Shastry of Kedila in Puttur taluk was the brother-in-law of a Ramakatha singer who had accused the seer of sexually abusing her. The charge sheet filed in Principal Civil and JMF Court in Puttur states that the trio had threatened, abused and abetted the suicide of Shastry.

Shastry committed suicide on September 1, 2014, by shooting self. His family sources had told police that he had received a call when he was having a lunch. After hanging on the phone, he took his gun and shot himself in the chest. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he did not respond to the treatment and succumbed.

The family had accused that Shastry was under severe pressure to be a witness in favour of the seer. A letter written prior to the suicide against the trio has been made available to the investigating team. On the request of the family members, the investigation was handed to CID.

According to sources, the charge sheet says that Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami, Bonantaya Shivashankar Bhat and Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat had threatened Shyam Prasad Shastry and had mounted pressure on him not to testify against the seer in connection with the sexual abuse case. Shastry had recorded these calls on his cell phone. These cell phone recordings were also submitted by the investigating team to the court as evidence.