NGO Odanadi urges CBI probe in Karnataka girls' sexual abuse case
arrested pontiff undergoes potency test
Bengaluru, Sep 4: The Mysuru-based non-government organisation, which helped book a case against the chief pontiff of Murugha Math in the minor girls' sexual abuse case, on Sunday demanded that a CBI or a court-monitored inquiry should be conducted against the seer as some people in the administration were colluding to protect him.
Speaking to PTI, Stanly K Varghese, director of NGO 'Odanadi', said a high-level probe was necessary against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru because there were media reports of many missing girls from the hostel, including the granddaughter of a blind man.
"In their statement, they (survivors) have mentioned about three more (missing) girls. That is evident in their statement. I am not talking in a vague manner. There are many girls, but they (survivors) have identified or recognised at least three girls who are there. Their names are mentioned (in the complaint)," Varghese said.
"Some mysterious deaths have happened, some girls went missing, some girls got married after rape, with the pontiff's support, some ladies got compensation for the rape by the pontiff," Varghese said.
The NGO director said the delay in the seer's arrest and the role of the child welfare committee of Chitradurga point to collusion.
"The system worked systematically in favour of the accused. I don't want to give a political or religious colour but the law-and-order system, the CWC of Chitradurga, hospital authorities, jail authorities, they all worked in favour of the accused. Even the medical officer was saying that the Swamiji got a heart attack, which is not true. After that, Swamiji became all right in the court," the director of Odanadi said.
Varghese was referring to a district medical officer's statement who had said that the seer would be shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru as he had developed some cardiac-related issue after his arrest.
Meanwhile, the seer was subjected to potency and DNA tests, sources in the medical department said.
"He underwent the potency test on Saturday. We also took samples of his blood and hair for DNA test," a medical officer in Chitradurga told PTI.
The officer refused to disclose the outcome saying that such things cannot be shared with media but will be presented to the court, which is hearing the case.
Sharanaru was arrested on Thursday following a case registered under provisions of the POCSO Act and ST/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against him for allegedly sexually harassing two minor girls studying in the high school.
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Extensions in service setback to those who are in line: Vice President Dhankhar
Bengaluru, Jan 11: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday that extensions in service, in any form for a particular post is a setback to those who are in line.
Dhankhar was delivering the inaugural address at the 25th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commission being held in Bengaluru.
According to him, extension of service indicates that some individuals are indispensable.
"Indispensability is a myth. Talent abounds in this country. No one is indispensable. And therefore, it lies in the domain of public service commissions at the state and the central level that when they have a role in such kinds of situations, they must be firm," added the VP.
He also said public service commissions' appointments cannot be driven by patronage, or by favouritism.
"We cannot have a public service commission Chairman or a member, wedded to a particular ideology or an individual. That will be undoing the essence and spirit of the framework of the constitution," said Dhankhar.
The Vice-President also frowned upon post-retirement recruitment and said it is antithetical to what was visualised by framers of the Constitution.
"In some states, it has been structured. Employees never retire, particularly those in the premium services. They get a number of ad-hoc nomenclatures. This is not good. Everyone in the country must have due and that due is defined by law," said the VP.
The VP also said fairness of selection has no meaning if paper leakages occur.
"Paper leakage has become an industry, a form of commerce. This is a menace that must be curbed," he added.
He commended the initiative the government has taken in this regard, with the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024.
The Vice President is also of the view that although it is "India's century", without a "calm political atmosphere" India will not really gain.
A vitiated political climate is far more dangerous than the climate change we are facing, he pointed out.
"Our polity at the moment is too divisive, too polarised. Interaction is not taking place at the premium level in political organisations."
The solution, according to him, is harmony in polity.
"Harmony is imperative. If there is no harmony in polity, if the polity is polarized, deeply divisive, with no communication channels functioning, imagine you are in an earthquake, you are lost and you have no connection with the outside world, things will be terrible for you," he added.
He also said for India to stand strong, we need strong institutions.
"Any institution, if it is weakened, the damage is to the entire nation. Weakening of an institution is like a prick on the body. The entire body will be in pain," said Dhankhar.
To build strong institutions, he added, states and Union governments must work in tandem.
"They must be in synergetic mode. They must be in sync with one another when it comes to national interest," said the VP.
Noting that discussion is deeply rooted in our civilizational ethos, the Vice President urged senior leadership for all political parties, irrespective of their ideologies, to "enhance dialogue, believe in consensus and always be ready for deliberation".
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was also present on the occasion, said Public Service Commissions are pillars of democracy, upholding meritocracy and fairness, and contributing immensely to governance.
"Karnataka has a rich history in public administration, starting with the Mysore Civil Services (MCS) examination initiated by Dewan Sir K Seshadri Iyer in 1892. This pioneering step set the foundation for a cadre of distinguished administrators, a legacy Karnataka continues to uphold with pride," he added.
He said tackling challenges such as paper leaks remains a top priority for Karnataka today. He also said learning from the best practices of other states and leveraging advanced technologies like artificial intelligence will make recruitment more transparent and corruption-free.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot; Chairman of UPSC Preeti Sudan and Chairman of Karnataka Public Service Commission Shivashankarappa S Sahukar were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.
