A 26-year-old man from Karnataka’s Yadgir district, who claims to be a baba, has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after a video allegedly showing him behaving inappropriately with a seven-year-old girl went viral on social media.
The accused, identified as Mallikarjuna Muthya, also known as Mallikarjun Mutya of Mahal Roja Mutt in Shahapur taluk, was booked by the Gogi police following public outrage over the footage.
The video, recorded on February 19 at the mutt located about 16 km from Shahapur, purportedly shows the 26-year-old behaving inappropriately with the child in the presence of her parents. Officials noted that the child appeared uncomfortable in the footage. The incident came to light after the video was uploaded on Instagram, reportedly to garner more likes, and drew widespread criticism.
The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) took suo motu cognisance of the video and wrote to the Yadgir Superintendent of Police and the District Child Protection Officer seeking a report on the action taken. A team from the District Child Protection Office visited the mutt and submitted a report to the Deputy Commissioner after conducting an inquiry with the girl’s parents, who are from Solapur in Maharashtra.
A District-Level Coordination Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner, and comprising the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer, the Superintendent of Police, and the Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, reviewed the video and directed the District Child Welfare Committee (DCWC) to conduct an inquiry.
After counselling the family and interacting with the child and her parents, the DCWC concluded prima facie that the accused had intentionally touched the girl and instructed the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) to lodge a complaint.
Police have registered a case under Section 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023, and Section 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012. A notice has been issued to Mallikarjuna Muthya, and further investigation is underway.