P. Sainath, journalist and founder of People’s Archive of Rural India, on Friday returned Basavashree Award conferred on him by the Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga, in solidarity with the minor girls who have alleged that they were sexually abused by the head of mutt, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.
“No words are strong enough to condemn any such offences against children. In solidarity with the survivors and with the cause of justice in this case, I hereby return the Basavashree award (and the ₹5 lakh prize money that came with it, by cheque) conferred on me by the mutt in 2017,” Mr. Sainath said in his statement.
He also had a word of praise for Mysuru-based NGO Odanadi that brought the incident to light. “I appeal to the Karnataka government to pursue the investigation into the scandal vigorously and not allow that to be compromised on any grounds whatsoever,” he said.
