Police serve notice to Raghaveshwara Swami

Bengaluru: The city police on Friday served a notice to Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramachandrapura Math in Honnavar, asking him to present himself before the investigating officer in a complaint lodged against  him at the Banashankari police station in Bengaluru. "The seer acknowledged that he received the notice and that he would present himself for questioning only after September 9 as he is busy with religious ceremonies at the math," said Mr S. Suresh Babu, ACP, Banashankari subdivision.

The notice was served to the swamiji at the Raghottama Math in Kekkar village The complaint in Bengaluru was filed by Anshumathi Shastry, daughter of Ramachandrapura Math Administrative Committee former president Diwakar Shastry and singer Premalatha Diwakar, alleging that the swamiji had sexually assaulted her mother. Diwakar and Premalatha were arrested earlier by the Honnavar police for allegedly blackmailing the Swamiji and demanding a ransom of Rs 3 crore.

Anshumathi had approached City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi, alleging that the police officers were not taking any action on her complaint. The case was transferred from Banashankari police station to Girinagar police station because of jurisdictional issues, said a senior police officer.

Anshumathi told Mr Reddi that she and her sister were getting threat calls from unknown people and they needed police protection as they were on their own after the arrest of their parents. Anshumati (24) also alleged that her parents were falsely implicated in the blackmail case as the seer and his disciples were afraid of being exposed.

Anshumathi stated that the sisters suspected the involvement of many influential people who might destroy evidence and influence the witnesses. She also demanded that the case be handed over to the CID. Math sources, meanwhile, the said that Diwakar Shastry had served as working president of the math administrative committee for three years till about a year ago.

He had to quit the post after a new committee was formed. They said that the Swamiji had provided opportunities for Premalatha to sing during "Ramakatha" programmes as she and her husband were disciples of the math. When the math took other singers for similar programmes, Premalatha got annoyed, and her husband was already unhappy as he had lost his post. This could be the reason behind their attempt to blackmail the swamiji and his disciples, they said. The couple allegedly threatened to expose sex scandals of the swamiji if he did not pay up Rs 3 crore.