CHENNAI: A 55-year-old temple priest is on the run after allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. The accused identified as Chandrasekar from Gangaiamman Temple near Maduravoyal was undergoing treatment at a private hospital after he was assaulted by the father of the girl, said the police.
The priest had allegedly sexually assaulted the girl in 2018 under the pretext of performing pooja to ward off evil spirits. In 2018, Chandrasekar approached the parents of the then Class 11 girl and informed them that the girl had evil spirits inside her and this could delay her marriage. “He said he would perform pooja to ward off the spirits and advised them to let the girl and her mother stay in the temple premises for 15 days,” said a senior police officer.
Recently, the father of the girl found out that the priest had sexually assaulted another girl who stayed at the temple on the pretext of doing pooja for atonement. When questioned, the girl told her father that the priest had also sexually assaulted her and threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone.
“The agitated father then thrashed Chandrasekar and he was admitted to a private hospital,” said the police officer. Based on a complaint for the parents, an All Women Police booked the priest under the pertaining sections of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and when they reached the hospital to arrest the priest, he had already escaped.