Murugha Mutt seer 'used girls to satisfy sexual desire', say cops

A survivor revealed that the suspect would drink alcohol and ask them to come to his bathroom to rub his back

Murugha Mutt Seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, who is in judicial custody over sexual abuse case involving minor girls, used to get girl students of the hostel run by the mutt to his bedroom with the assistance of the hostel warden at night and drug them by offering chocolate-like food, the chargesheet filed by Chitradurga police against the seer said.

As per the chargesheet, the seer would then "abuse them sexually to satisfy his sexual desire". When they woke up, he would threaten them.

Police in the chargesheet stated that the 17-year old girl, one of the two survivors, began staying in the hostel on the premises of the mutt when she was admitted to class 7. The seer earned the confidence and respect of the student's family members by "showing sympathy". He misused his position by asking the hostel warden Rashmi, the second accused in the case, to send the girl to his bedroom at night. The girl student had been abused sexually many times between 2018 and 2020.

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The investigation team also stated that the 16-year old girl, another surviour in the case, was abused sexually in 2021 and 2022. The hostel warden Rashmi and the mutt manager Paramashivaiah, fourth accused in the case, assisted the seer and tried to destroy evidence. The team also informed the court that they did not find evidence against the 17-year old boy and Gangadharaiah, other suspects in the case. Chargesheets had, therefore, not been filed against them.

It may be mentioned here that the police had filed chargesheets in two volumes in the court on October 27. When the court sought the reason for separate chargesheets against the seer, police clarified that one girl was coming under the purview of The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The investigation team had collected 84 witnesses including those working at the mutt, teachers, and those staying in the hostel. The names of these witnesses had been submitted to the court.

One of the survivors told the investigation officer that the seer used to ask girl students to stay back in his room after the night tuition in the name of some work. "He used to give fruits to us by asking us to sit beside him. Later, I was asked to remove clothes," she said. She also revealed that the suspect would drink alcohol and ask them to come to his bathroom to rub his back.