Bhubaneswar: A priest was sentenced to seven years in jail by a special court in Bhubaneswar Monday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a temple.
Pradyumna Kumar Mallia (35), a priest of the Kapileshwar temple, was convicted by the special POCSO court in connection with the incident that happened June 3.
The court directed the district legal service authority to provide compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the survivor.
The girl, along with her cousin sister, went to the temple on the evening of June 3. They got separated in the temple premises, according to the prosecution.
Around 8 pm, the girl was returning alone from the temple as she could not find her cousin. At that time, the priest invited her to see the puja at the Shani temple, which is located in the same complex.
The girl went with the priest, who took her to a dark place in the temple complex and assaulted her. As she resisted, he threatened to kill her, the prosecution said.
The priest eventually let her go, and she found her sister at the temple’s gate. She told her the whole incident, and then went home and narrated it to her mother, it said.
The girl’s mother filed a complaint at the Lingaraj police station.
Police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, and arrested the accused.
