Key Takeaways
- A church priest in Karnataka was booked under the POCSO act for alleged sexual abuse of a Banjara minor.
- Father Francis Fernandes was taken into 14‑day judicial custody following police investigation.
- Members of the Banjara community staged protests outside Shivamogga police station demanding justice.
A church priest from Karnataka has been booked under the POCSO act for allegedly sexually abusing a minor girl from the Banjara community. The accused, Father Francis Fernandes, is alleged to have abused the girl at the college where he taught, which is affiliated with the church.
According to the Shivamogga police, the priest has been placed in a 14‑day judicial custody after being produced in court.
On the other hand, outside the police station in Shivamogga, disgruntled members of the Banjara community were seen staging a protest, against the accused church priest, Father Francis Fernandes. They could be heard raising slogans against the church priest for allegedly sexually abusing a minor from their community.
