MYSURU: A gram panchayat vice-president has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and rape charges for marrying a minor girl in Nanjangud taluk.
Police said Hadya gram panchayat vice-president and class-one civil contractor Harish Kumar had allegedly married a 17-year-old girl on 15 February 2023 at Sri Kamalamma Gurumallappa Chathra on Hullahalli Road in Nanjangud Town. Both are from the same caste and same Hariyuru village in the taluk.
The incident came to light when Hariyuru villagers led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) vice-president Mahesh registered a complaint with the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Nanjangud.
In the complaint, Mahesh said Harish Kumar had married the minor girl in February and had changed her date of birth in the Aadhaar card to avoid any problem regarding the marriage.
However, as per the school records, the girl’s date of birth is 19 November 2005 and she is a student at Kittur Rani Channamma Residential School in Hura village. The complaint reported that the girl is pregnant and requested to initiate legal action against Harish Kumar for misusing political power.
Based on the complaint, the CDPO authorities verified the school certificates to know the date of birth and hospital reports to confirm the pregnancy, after which the Child Development Supervisor Sushila SB filed a complaint with the Nanjangud Town police station against Harish Kumar on Tuesday.
A case has been registered under IPC 376 (2) N (commit rape repeatedly on the same woman), POCSO Act, 2012 and Section 9,10 and 11 (harassment).