Fresh FIR against Murugha Mutt pontiff, six others in sexual abuse case
Mysuru: The Nazarbad Police filed FIRs late Thursday night against seven people, including Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, for sexual abuse and abetting a crime under the POCSO Act.
A woman in Mysuru has complained to the Nazarbad police that the pontiff had abused her daughters when they were staying at the hostel of the Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga. She has said that the pontiff ‘regularly’ abused the girls sexually, till they reached puberty, said sources.
In her police complaint, the woman has said, “I started working in the Mutt six years ago and got my daughters admitted to Classes 3 and 1 at the school of the Mutt. My daughters were given rooms at the Mutt hostel itself. The pontiff sexually abused my daughters in 2019 and during the period of Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.”
She added in the complaint, “My daughters said that the pontiff would order the hostel warden Rashmi and the cook’s assistant Karibasava to lead him to them in the afternoons and use them for his pleasure. They said that this continued till they attained puberty.”
The mother informed the police that two girls aged 15 years and one each aged 14 years and 12 years, were also sexually abused by the pontiff.
“Since the Murugha Mutt pontiff was an influential person and since my daughters were minors, I was afraid to speak of this. Now, I sought the help of the NGO Odanadi Seva Samsthe to approach and file a complaint with Nazarbad Police,” said the woman.
Complaints have been registered against the pontiff, hostel warden Rashmi, Basavaditya, Basavalingappa, residents of Mysuru Gangadharayya and Paramashivayya, and the assistant cook Karibasava, sources added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
