Woman Kills Self After Temple Priest Raped Her Under Pretext Of Fertility Ritual

A temple priest has been arrested for raping and abetting the suicide of a woman in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, authorities said.

The accused, identified only as Munusamy, a priest at a temple in Pennalurpet in Tiruvallur district, has been arrested by the crime branch division (CB-CID) of the Tamil Nadu police, The Hindu reported.

“The CB-CID investigation revealed that the temple’s priest, Munusamy, lied to the deceased that she had ‘naga dosha’, made her come to the temple often and raped her, and thereby abetted her suicide,” police said in a media release issued on Sunday.

A further probe revealed the woman stayed at the temple on Feb. 13, to take part in a puja (Hindu ritual), which the priest convinced would help her get fertile.

She attempted suicide a day later and died in the Thiruvallur government hospital on Feb. 16, according to reports.

The incident came to light after the woman’s father, Ramakrishnan lodged a complaint to the Pennalurpet police stating his daughter’s suicide. The case was later transferred to the crime branch on the orders of the state police chief.

Munusamy was arrested on June 18 and remanded in judicial custody. Indian Penal Code sections related to rape, cheating, and abetment to suicide as well as Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act have been added to the case, police said.

A similar incident was reported in India’s Uttar Pradesh, where a church priest was arrested for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl. The incident took place in the Chandinagar area on April 24.

The child was cycling around the church when the priest, identified as Albert, called her inside and allegedly raped her, according to a complaint filed by the girl's mother.

The accused had also threatened the child with dire consequences if she disclosed the matter to anyone, Superintendent of Police Neeraj Jadoun said.

However, the girl narrated her ordeal to her parents after reaching home, leading to the priest’s arrest.