Sexual harassment by Swamiji: Complaint's brother shoots himself under mysterious circumstances

Mangalore, Aug 31: A 55-year-old man who allegedly received several threat calls from Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati of Ramachandrapura mutt and its disciples suspiciously shot himself to death.

Shyamprasad, a resident of Puttur and brother of Diwakar Shastry, whose daughter had filed a complaint of sexual harassment against the mutt chief-cum-cow protector Raghaveshwara Bharati breathed his last in a private hospital in Mangalore where he was admitted after he tried to end his life.

Sources said that Shyamprasad lost his peace of mind from few days after receiving threat calls and shot himself with a country gun. The bullet had pierced just below his chest on the left side. He was under treatment in ICU. But, he did not respond to the treatment.

Shyamprasad's relative Dr Ganesh Prasad confirmed that Shyamprasad was getting threat calls from mutt. The callers were inviting Shyamprasad to visit mutt continuously.

On August 27, Anshumathi Shastri, the daughter of Diwakara Shastry and Premalatha, residents of Banashankari in Bangalore, the police registered a case against the seer and others under IPC Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Premalatha was one of the performers in Ramakatha, a group dance based on mythology, for the last three years, organised by the seer. Diwakara Shastry was closely associated with the Mutt's administration.

Anshumathi stated in the complaint that her mother Premalatha had said that the seer and his disciples had sexually harassed her. When her family members were contemplating to lodge a complaint against them, the seer's disciples learnt about their intentions, called up Premalatha and threatened her against lodging a complaint. However, the family members were determined to lodge complaints against the seer and his disciples.

To put them in trouble, the seer's disciples lodged false' complaint against Premalatha and Diwakara Shastry with the Honnavar police. A team of Honnavar police thus took Diwakara Shastry and Premalatha into custody, claiming that they would produce them before the local court, Anshumathi said in the complaint.

She stated that she and her sister were in the house and were getting threat calls from the seer's disciples, she added and sought police protection.