Murugha math seer arrest: Police given free hand, investigation in accordance with law, says Bommai
Mangaluru, Sep 2: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said police have been given a free hand to investigate the sexual abuse case against chief pontiff of Murugha Math Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, in accordance with law.
He did not wish to comment on allegations regarding the "delay" in the arrest of the seer.
"There is no need to respond to all these talks. I have already said that everything will happen in accordance with law. It is not right to comment on the case at the present situation," Bommai said in response to a question on delay in the seer's arrest.
Speaking to reporters here, he said police have been given a free hand and they are at work.
The seer was arrested by police on Thursday night, six days after the case of alleged sexual harassment of two minor girls staying in a hostel run by the Math was filed under the POCSO Act against him.
Sharanaru was produced during the early hours of Friday before the first additional district and sessions judge, who remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.
Earlier this morning, the 64-year-old seer was taken to the district hospital, after he complained of some health complications in jail, police sources said.
The Mysuru city police had last week filed an FIR against the seer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and certain sections of the Indian Penal Code for the alleged sexual abuse.
The FIR was registered against a total of five people, including the warden of the prominent Lingayat Math's hostel, based on the complaint by an officer of the District Child Protection Unit.
Two high-school girls had approached a non-governmental organisation in Mysuru and narrated the alleged abuse, following which it approached the authorities and the case was registered by the police.
The case was subsequently shifted to Chitradurga, as it was the place of occurrence of the alleged crime.
The seer, who wields considerable influence in the community, was booked under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well, as one of the victims belongs to the SC community.
The seer had earlier claimed the allegations against him were part of a long-drawn conspiracy and that he was law-abiding and would cooperate in the probe.
There have been protests demanding Sharanaru's arrest.
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
