The politically influential Lingayat community in Karnataka’s Shivamurthy Sharanaru was detained yesterday as a result of intense pressure from the general public.
A case was started six days ago when two young girls accused him of rape.
One of the important Lingayat seminaries, the Murugha Math, is led by 64-year-old Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.
After a day of protests by the civil society and numerous organisations in the districts of Chitradurga and Mysuru, Karnataka, the arrest occurred about 10:15 pm.
He was subsequently brought before the magistrate court, who sentenced him to judicial custody for 14 days.
He has been named in a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act since one of the victim is from the Dalit community.
