Panchamasali seer appears for questioning in POCSO case at Harihar police, Karnataka

Sri Vachanananda Swami appeared for questioning at Harihar Rural police station in connection with a case under the POCSO Act. The complaint was filed earlier at Laxmeshwar police station in Gadag district by the mother of a 16-year-old boy; the case was registered under POCSO and later transferred to Harihar Rural police. The hostel involved housed boys between 2021 and 2024. Allegations include entering bathrooms during bathing, forcing massages including his private parts, and threats if disclosures were made. The seer had been expelled on April 13, and some trustees have accused him of receiving massages from minor boys. The welfare committee’s April 17 visit and ongoing inquiry are noted in relation to the case.

The Davangere district child welfare committee, led by President Manjula Mahesh, visited the Guru Peetha to inquire into the issue and recorded statements of the seer and others.

The expelled head of Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamasali Guru Peetha at Harihar, Sri Vachanananda Swami, was removed by the mutt trustees after the deadline to abdicate the Shwaas Yoga Peetha in Bengaluru expired. The seer reportedly refused to leave the mutt, and some trustees accused him of receiving body massages from minor boys.

The Davangere district child welfare committee was reportedly in the final stage of submitting an inquiry report on a complaint filed by three other hostel inmates.