New Delhi: A case under the POCSO Act has been registered against a self-styled godman in Karnataka’s Yadgir district after he was caught on camera behaving inappropriately with a seven-year-old girl. A widely-circulated video purportedly showed Mallikarjuna Muttava of a shrine in Shahapur kissing the minor girl as her parents look on. The child was sitting on his lap.
As the video went viral, sparking outrage, the Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights took cognisance of it and demanded action against the godman. Following this, he was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
Notice given to godman, probe launched
According to police, a notice has also been issued to the godman for inappropriately touching the minor girl, and probe has been launched.
Parents didn’t have problem with godman’s act
Although the girl’s parents had recorded the video and also shared it on social media, they did not find anything wrong in the godman’s gesture, police said.
“The parents and the girl have recorded their statements, but they did not find anything wrong in his (godman) touch, and they themselves recorded the video. However, the child appeared uncomfortable. After counselling, the Child Welfare Committee recommended the registration of an FIR,” the Yadgir Superintendent of Police said.
Acting on the police’s instructions, district child protection officials visited the ashram, recorded statements of the minor and her parents and submitted a report. The girl’s family is originally from Maharashtra’s Solapur.