Not involved in conspiracy against seer, says Murugha Math's Administrative Officer
Chitradurga, Sep 1: Accused by some of his role in two high school girls levelling sexual abuse charges against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Murugha Math, the seminary's administrative officer S K Basavarajan on Thursday said he was not involved in any conspiracy against the pontiff and he has done his duty by trying to protect the children.
Breaking his silence for the first time, the former MLA, who along with his wife were accused of conspiring against the seer by Math officials, said every thing will be known to everyone in the days to come, and if the children were right, they will get justice.
Basavarajan and his wife were today granted bail by the the first additional district and sessions judge's court here in a case of sexual harassment and kidnapping that were registered against them on a complaint by a woman, who is said to be a staff at the Math.
He said the case against him and his wife was 'completely false' and a "counter" to cases filed against the seer and four others, as the pontiff's followers in the Math believe in his involvement and conspiracy behind the girls' charges against the seer.
"I have no role in this case, there is no conspiracy on my part, I'm being intentionally accused. As the case is before the Court, I don't want to comment more," Basavarajan said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said every thing will be known to everyone in the days to come.
He was responding to a query as to whether the charges against the seer were true and were there any irregular things happening in the math.
"I have given protection to those children, I have done my duty to an extent possible. When those children were at a police station in Bengaluru, my wife, son and I had gone there in the night and brought them back by giving in writing, and handed them over to their parents...if the children are true they will get justice, if not they will not," he added.
According to sources, the girls are said to have gone to Bengaluru in search of help and to narrate their ordeal, before going to Mysuru.
The Mysuru city police had on Saturday filed an FIR against the seer under the 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 monastery's hostel, based on the complaint by an officer of the District Child Protection Unit.
Two 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.
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Assam mining tragedy: Bodies of 3 more labourers trapped in coal quarry recovered
Guwahati, Jan 11: The bodies of three workers, who were trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, were recovered on Saturday from the quarry during rescue operations, an official said.
Four bodies have so far been recovered with the first one taken out from the mine on Wednesday, he said.
The four deceased labourers were among the nine workers trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.
"The rescue operations resumed this morning and three bodies were recovered as the search for trapped miners entered its sixth day. The body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, was recovered on January 8," the official said.
One of the three labourers whose bodies were recovered from the mine during the day was identified as 27-year-old Ligen Magar, a resident of village number 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao, he said.
The identification of two other bodies is underway, the district official said.
Magar's body was found floating on accumulated water in the mine after the army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) divers went to bring out the worker, the official said.
"Another body was recovered from the Umrangsu mine a short while ago, marking the third recovery so far. The identification process is currently underway”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
He said the rescue operations have been continuing with "unwavering resolve".
"Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering resolve. Tragically, another body was recovered this morning...," the chief minister posted on the microblogging site earlier in the day.
''Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time," he added.
Dewatering of the quarry, which is 340 feet deep, was continuing with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India, the official said.
The chief minister had claimed that the mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago.
''It was not an illegal mine but an abandoned one. The workers had entered the mine that day for the first time to extract coal," Sarma said on Friday night.
He said that the leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case.
Speaking on the ongoing rescue operations, Sarma said that dewatering has been continuing since Thursday and so far, 7 metres of water have been pumped out.
''There was water up to 26 metres across four wells. If water is cleared from the wells, we can expect some results'', he said.
Another machine has been brought in from Nagpur and would be operated from Saturday morning, Sarma said, adding that if it functions according to plans, it is expected that the water would be cleared by evening.
On the alleged involvement of a family member of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa in the incident, the chief minister said, ''This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise it".
