Murugha Mutt case: Hostel warden sent girls to seer's bedroom at night, claims charge sheet

The girls would be offered chocolate-like food laced with sedatives to make them unconscious before the seer sexually abused them

Murugha Mutt Seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, who is in judicial custody over charges of sexual abuse, used to get girl students of the hostel run by the mutt to his bedroom at night, with the assistance of the hostel warden.

They would be offered chocolate-like food laced with sedatives to make them unconscious. Later, he would abuse them sexually.

When they woke up, he used to threaten them. These are excerpts from the charge sheet filed by the Chitradurga police against the seer.

The charge sheet said one of the two survivors, a 17-year old girl, got admitted to class 7 in 2018 and was staying in the hostel on the premises of the mutt.

The seer had earned confidence and respect of the family members of the student in question. Misusing this, he used to ask hostel warden Rashmi, accused number 2 n the case, to send the girl to his bedroom. The girl was abused sexually many times between 2018 and 2020.

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The investigation team said another survivor, a 16-year old girl, was abused sexually in 2021 and 2022.

Rashmi and mutt manager Paramashivaiah, fourth accused in the case, assisted the seer and tried to destroy evidence.

The police filed the charge sheet in the court in two volumes on October 27.

The team told the court that they did not find any evidence against a 17-year old youth and advocate Gangadharaiah, both suspects in the case. So, no charge sheet has been filed against them.

The investigation team had questioned 84 witnesses, including those working in the mutt, teachers and those staying in the hostel.

One of the survivors told the investigation officer that the seer used to ask girl students to stay back in his room after night tuitions in the name of some work.

"He used to give fruits to us after asking us to sit beside him. Later, I was asked to remove clothes," she said.

The girl said the suspect used to consume liquor and would ask the students to come to the bathroom to rub his back.