Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, who was arrested on Thursday night under charges of sexually assaulting minor girls, was on Friday, September 2, shifted from the jail to a hospital in Karnataka's Chitradurga district after he complained of chest pain and breathlessness. Police sources said that the accused seer, who was lodged in prison following his arrest on Thursday night, collapsed complaining of chest pain and breathlessness.
He is presently being treated at the emergency ward of the hospital, where doctors are conducting ECG, echo tests and chest scan. Sources added that he might be shifted to the Jayadeva hospital or the Apollo hospital in Bengaluru for additional treatment. They further said that due to the development, the investigation might be hampered as they were preparing to take him into custody.
The seer is facing charges under the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He is alleged to have sexually assaulted girls aged 15 and 16, with help of a lady warden, junior pontiff and other staff.
The seer was arrested around 10.30 pm on Thursday night, two days after the two minor survivors recorded their statements in front of a judicial magistrate court — which is considered a key piece of evidence. According to sources, the girls — who are 15 and 16 years old — described their ordeal in the statement, and with them sticking to their allegations, it became untenable for the police to delay the arrest any further. He was produced in court after his arrest and a district and sessions court sent him to a 14-day judicial custody. Meanwhile, a court in Chitradurga is set to hear his anticipatory bail plea on Friday.