On July 28, another shameful incident of rape in a sacred place was reported when a woman was allegedly raped by the head priest of a temple inside the premises in a Greater Noida village.
A police complaint was lodged in the Badalpur police station as the temple came under its jurisdiction with the temple belonging to the Dhoom Manikpur village. On July 9, the victim visited the temple with a woman relative, following which the priest called her into his room and raped her.
Greater Noida Deputy Superintendent of Police Avaneesh Kumar said a case was registered against the accused, who has been identified as Swami Kanhaiya Nand, who absconded after the incident.
“A probe was launched and efforts are underway to nab the accused,” Kumar said.
In a similar vein, on July 11, a Hyderabad priest was arrested for raping a 45-year-old Delhi worshipper who visited him for special prayers at a city temple, police said. The priest identified as Rama Rao lured the woman into his room and offered to perform special prayers and when the woman arrived back with the prayer material he had requested, Rao took her to his room in the temple premises and raped her.
Two separate incidents that took place on June 14 and June 22 came to light earlier this month when two women from Mumbai were allegedly sexually abused by a Hindu priest in Shree Manguesh Devasthan. The girls described their horrific encounter in two separate letters to the temple management and alleged that the priest hugged and kissed them in the temple premises, when they visited the temple with their parents.
Also Read: Kerala Church Scandal: Four priests booked for rape.