Bengaluru police registered an FIR after a video of a woman being kicked, dragged, and beaten with sticks in a temple in Bengaluru was widely shared online.
Hemavathi, the survivor, had lodged a complaint with Amruthahalli police station on Thursday, January 4, stating that the incident occurred on December 21. The police confirmed on Friday, January 5, that the accused is Munikrishna, 'dharamdarshi' of the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in the Amruthahalli locality.
The video shows the woman being repeatedly assaulted, held by the hair, and dragged outside the temple by a man. Speaking to the Times of India, the woman said that Munikrishna abused her and threatened to kill her and her husband if she spoke up about the incident "Munikrishnappa threatened to kill me and my husband if I spoke about the incident to anyone," the newspaper quoted her as saying.
The accused can be seen assaulting her with a stick even as she runs for cover. A case under Section 354 (assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against Munikrishna. Police officials told TNM that the woman belongs to the Thigala community, but denied that this was a case of caste-based violence to restrict her entry into the temple. A case was not registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act since the complaint did not identify as a member of any scheduled caste or tribe.
Munikrisha told police officials that the woman claimed that Lord Venkateshwara was her husband and wanted to sit next to the idol in the sanctum sanctorum. When her demand was rejected, she allegedly spat on the priest, after which she was asked to leave. He told the police that the woman was beaten and dragged out since she did not listen.
Speaking to TNM, Guruprasad, inspector of Amruthahalli police station said, "The accused Munikrishna has stated that he dragged the woman out of the temple after she allegedly spat at the priest of the temple." The police are yet to make an arrest in the case.