Bengaluru: A video is going viral, showing a ‘self-proclaimed seer’ behaving inappropriately with a minor girl who had come to visit his so-called spiritual centre in Karnataka’s Yadgir district. The footage sparked outrage and also grabbed the attention of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights who took a Suo Motu cognisance of the matter. The commission ordered the city police to investigate the incident immediately. During the investigation, the police revealed several chilling details of the incident.
Police said the girl originally belonged to Solapur in Maharashtra. On February 19, she had visited the Yamanurappa Mutya Mutt, with which the swami is associated, with her family. The centre is located in Mahal Roja village of Shahapur taluk.
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Notably, the accused Mallikarjun Mutya was seen kissing the girl in front of her family in the viral video. The footage also showed the minor lying on his lap while he held her with his arms around her. She appeared visibly uncomfortable in the video, yet no one present intervened.
The accused swami is reportedly famous in the region and has a great following not only in Karnataka but also in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. After registering a case, the police issued a notice asking him to appear for questioning. However, the police were informed that the accused left the mutt late at night and travelled to Telangana.
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If he fails to appear, a special team may be constituted, and an investigation team is likely to travel to Telangana to secure his arrest.
The complaint was filed by the Child Development Project Officer of Shahapur taluk, and the case has been booked under the provisions of the POCSO Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Based on instructions from Commission Chairman Shashidhar Kosambe, a case was registered at Gogi Police Station in Shahapur taluk.
