Puri: A senior servitor of Jagannath Temple here was on Friday arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy.
Singhadwar police have booked him under Sections 294, 377, 506 and POCSO Act.
According to the visually-impaired complainant, his minor son escorted him to the temple daily. The servitor of Mahalakshmi temple, Lakhmi Narayan Khuntia, had first sexually assaulted his son around two months ago when the latter was at Bhubaneswari temple, it added.
The accused also threatened to beat him if he disclosed to matter to anyone.
Condemning the shameful act at a holy place, the complainant sought protection for his family.
Besides police, he also lodged written complaints with Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and the association of servitors (Niyog).
Singhadwar police station Sunil Kumar Pradhan had earlier told the media that appropriate action will be taken after the investigation. The minor boy’s statement will be recorded by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), he said, adding that both the accused and the child have been sent for medical examination.
Notably, Singhadwara police had arrested a servitor on Thursday on charges of molesting a minor girl on the premises of the 12th-century shrine.
