Opinion: On Rape-Accused Lingayat Seer, The Silence Of Karnataka Parties
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Late night, September 1. The police in Chitradurga, Karnataka, moved in to arrest a man charged with the rape of two minor girls. The police had put in place considerable security before the arrest - including barricades and extra personnel.The arrest came a full six days after an FIR was filed in the case, following the complaint of the two girls. A delay that allowed the accused to file for anticipatory bail and even address the press. A delay that saw protests and questions about the impartiality of the state administration in this case.The man who faces charges under the POCSO Act and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is no ordinary citizen but the head of an influential Lingayat mutt in Karnataka. Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru has ...