In yet another sexual assault by a religious head, a pastor in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh has been accused of raping a 12-year-old girl on Monday night.
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The incident took place in the Kuravakaluva village of the Renigunta mandal, and came to light on Tuesday morning when the womenfolk of the village approached the police.
They have filed a police complaint against the 51-year-old, who is pastor at a small church.
The women told the police that the pastor, who has been identified as Paneer Selvam, took the minor to a desolate area near the church around 8 pm on Monday and raped her, according to a New Indian Express report.
A woman who chose to remain anonymous reportedly saw the pastor forcing himself on the child and alerted the other women. They rushed to spot, overpowered Selvam, tied him to a pole and thrashed him, according to reports.
However, as a police complaint was not field then, the higher authorities of the religious institution arrived that same night and took the accused away from the village.
The womenfolk took the initiative and reported the crime at the Gajulamandyam Police Station because the victim's family was afraid of approaching the police on Tuesday morning.
The police are currently investigating the case.
This is not the first time a religious figure has been involved in cases of sexual crimes against women.
A Catholic priest, identified as Fr Robin Vadakkancheril, vicar at St Sebastian Church of Kottiyoor in Kannur district of Kerala, was arrested in February this year for allegedly raping and impregnating a minor girl. The incident had come to light after the minor gave birth to a boy at a private hospital.
A Muslim cleric, identified as Hafiz Aslam was arrested from Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, had been arrested in March on charges of raping and blackmailing a woman.
In another incident in Kerala, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court of Thrissur on May 11 had awarded a life sentence to a pastor after he was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old Dalit girl.
