Murugha Mutt pontiff ‘bribing’ complainants to withdraw cases: Odanadi to child rights panel
Mysuru: The non-government organization Odanadi Seva Samsthe has asked the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to consider the information provided by a victim of sexual assault at the Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga, while investigating the case.
K V Stanley, director of Odanadi, has said, “There have been attempts to offer money to the complainants to withdraw their respective cases, in order to get the the case against the pontiff closed.”
In a letter on Wednesday to the chairperson of the Commission, the director has referred to a telephone conversation between a child under the care of the Bala Bhavana and her father, where the latter told his daughter to withdraw the complaint as ‘the swami had taken care of them and given them money’. The staff at the Bala Bhavana heard the conversation as the speaker was turned on during the phone call, the director added.
“The girl had been protesting vehemently against the torture she had undergone, including against her father and uncle who had failed to take care of her. She had even complained to the local police against them, asking the police to give her to the care of Odanadi Seva Samsthe rather than let her return to the care of her father and uncle. That the Child Welfare Committee, Chitradurga, had returned her to the care of her father and uncle, sidelining the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and the welfare of the child herself is a suspicious move,” said Stanley.
“A second child, who was staying in the care of the Child Welfare Committee and was a friend of the victim who received the call, has given a statement as witness to the conversation between the father and the daughter. It is also proof to the claim that there are attempts by the accused to silence the complainants by offering them money,” the director has written.
He has requested the Commission chairperson to investigate the act of luring of complainants with money too.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
