Sexual harassment at temple: Beauty queen gets molested by Indian priest, says it's a blessing to ‘do it' with him
A priest who usually guided her through the rituals offered to bless her with holy water and a protective string. He asked her to wait as the temple was crowded.
After nearly 90 minutes, he told her to follow him to an office. Although she felt uneasy, she trusted him because of his past guidance.
In the office, the priest splashed her face with a strong-smelling liquid. He claimed it was a rare water from India. Then, he asked for something that made her totally uncomfortable.
'Then he asked me to lift my Punjabi suit. I refused. He kept insisting it was "for my good". But, I told him I couldn't because my blouse was tight. He got angry and scolded me asking what kind of person dresses tight like that,' Kanaran wrote on Instagram.
While he stood behind her, the priest continued chanting. Suddenly, he touched her inappropriately.
'He said it would be a "blessing" if I did "it" with him because he serves God,' she wrote.
'I won't go into more detail. But I was MOLESTED by that priest. And I couldn't react. When I finally managed to run, he said something like, 'This week will be a lucky week for you. I've done this for you',' she posted.
On July 4, she finally told her mother, who informed the rest of the family. That same day, they went to the police and filed a report.
When they visited the temple, the management seemed more concerned about the temple's name than her safety. She learned that someone had already complained about the same priest before, but no action had been taken.
The temple chairman claimed he knew little about the priest and even tried to downplay the matter. The investigating officer reportedly warned her not to post anything online. He said she would be blamed if she did.
'I'm not writing this to victimise myself. I'm writing this to voice out so that anyone else who has gone through something like this knows. You are not to blame. You did nothing wrong. And if you ever need someone, I'm here. You are not alone,' Lishalliny Kanaran posted.
Meanwhile, Malaysian police have started a manhunt for the accused, who is currently missing. According to Sepang district police chief Norhizam Bahaman, the suspect is an Indian who worked at the temple while the resident priest was absent.
'The suspect's modus operandi was allegedly to sprinkle holy water on the victim's face and body before proceeding to molest her,' the South China Morning Post quoted Norhizam as saying.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Silent killer on the loose: The menace of Chinese manjha
It's a humid July afternoon. In Southeast Delhi's Sangam Vihar, a 14-year-old has just come back from school. The scrawny teenager quickly changes into brown shorts and a black T-shirt and heads out again. He has to buy a packet of toned milk from a grocery store in the Sangam Vihar market, a small cluster of shops across the road from the main Wazirabad market. But the milk is only part of the errand. The boy, his friends claim, is the contact in the area to get the infamous 'Chinese manjha (kite string)'. 'Kam se kam 200 ka loge? (Will you buy at least Rs 200 worth of manjha?)' — he's often heard asking prospective customers. Once assured the buyer is serious, the boy gestures for them to follow him inside the market. En route is a shabby one-room kite shop, with children queuing up outside. But he passes by without a glance. 'Yahan kuch nai milega. Abhi (police) raid ka season hai. (You won't find anything here. This is the season of raids),' he says, referring to a recent raid by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in Wazirabad on July 5. After passing through a narrow alley, the boy reaches a small medical shop. He steps up and murmurs into the ear of an 18-year-old youth sitting at the counter. 'Rs 220 ek reel manjhe ke liye. Ek dum dhaardaar hai, Bareilly se laya hai mere chacha ka ladka. Bolo toh mangwaunga (Rs 220 for one reel of manja. It's very sharp. My cousin got it from Bareilly. Say the word and I will bring it),' the boy at the counter says. Despite being banned in Delhi, the sale of Chinese manjha continues. The string, made of nylon, is coated with crushed pieces of glass, giving it razor-sharp edges that easily cut through other kite strings in the air — but it is capable of doing far worse on the ground. In recent years, it has been linked to multiple deaths and injuries, particularly among two-wheeler riders whose necks get caught in stray strings hanging across roads. This year, it has already led to the death of one person and injured another. On June 27, Yash Goswami (22) died after his throat was slit by a Chinese manjha on Rani Jhansi flyover in North Delhi. The Karawal Nagar resident was on his way home at the time. 'Goswami suffered a deep cut on his neck, causing him to collapse on the spot. He was rushed to the hospital by passersby, where he was declared dead on arrival,' a police officer had said. In another incident on July 2, the string did not take the life of Axis Bank employee Prakash but slashed his face while he was passing by the Shastri Park flyover on his bike, police had said. Chinese manjha, according to the police and shopkeepers, is primarily produced in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. It is called 'Chinese' not because of its origin, but because it is synthetic, unlike traditional Indian Manjha or 'Sadda', which are made from natural cotton threads. In January 2017, the Delhi government moved a notification banning manjha made of nylon and plastic and ones made of cotton coated with glass or metal (popularly known as 'Bareilly ka manjha'). In 2017, the National Green Tribunal had ordered a total ban on manjha made of nylon or any synthetic material. Like every year, the Delhi Police has started its crackdown on the supply of Chinese manjha. With the kite-flying season approaching ahead of Independence Day, the Crime Branch has already seized over 1,200 rolls of the banned thread from three locations in the city. The first seizure was done at Central Delhi's Kamla Market on June 26. Running the illegal manjha operation here was Areeb Khan (22) a former textile store worker. 'He had 248 rolls of banned string and was caught near Kamla Market. Areeb used to work at a clothing store but moved to kite-string selling for more profit,' DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav had said. The second operation happened in West Delhi's Uttam Nagar on June 27. 2. Raju Chaurasia (51) was arrested in the case. The third operation took place in Sangam Vihar, Wazirabad on July 5. The raid led to the arrest of Danish Khan (28) and the recovery of 56 rolls of manjha. He used to make kites but started selling manjha to earn more money, police had said. In all, 1,226 rolls of Chinese manjha have been found, and police registered three FIRs against the people involved. On Friday itself, brothers Samir (22) and Shakir (18) were arrested from a jhuggi cluster at Nand Nagri with 325 reels of the banned Chinese manjha. They allegedly told the police that they were stocking up for the Independence Day. Kamla Market in Daryaganj, in the Lal Kuan area, is known as the hub for kite shops. Sitting at his family's kite shop is a 13-year-old bespectacled boy, handling customers as the adults have stepped out. Behind him, kites of all shapes and colours are pinned to the wall. The news of Areeb's arrest has spread like wildfire, with shopkeepers now vehemently denying ever possessing the Chinese Manjha. 'Chinese manjha ab nahi milta yaha. Jo bechte the unko bhi pakad liya police ne (Chinese manjha is not available here, the police have caught those who sold them),' says the boy. 'Par uski takkar ka mil jaayega (But you can get something of the same quality at the main shop),' he adds. He goes down a damp lane and, after about 250 m, enters a house with a green curtain serving as its entrance. Inside is a room with high-ceiling, with kites all around. Sitting on the floor, on a ragged, torn maroon carpet, are two teenage boys and an elderly man clad in a white kurta pyjama — all sewing kites. The man owns the kite shop. The 13-year-old asks the man, who is holding a purple kite in his hand, for manjha. The man shouts, 'Indian reel le aa ek (Bring a reel of cotton manjha).' 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It's difficult to trace the owner of one piece of thread found on a random flyover,' a police officer says. No arrests have been made in the two cases from this year, police say. On August 19 in 2023, Sandeep (40) was taking his seven-year-old daughter on an early morning drive on his black motorcycle to Bhaira Enclave in West Delhi's Paschim Vihar. His daughter was sitting in front. He was about to take a turn when his daughter screamed. 'I quickly stopped and got her down — and saw the manjha wrapped around her neck. She was bleeding,' Sandeep had told police at that time. The girl died on her way to the hospital. No one has been arrested till now, a senior police officer says. In August 2019, Manav Sharma (28) had his throat slit by the manjha in Paschim Vihar of Outer Delhi. He was on the way home on a scooter with his sisters after celebrating Raksha Bandhan. No arrest was made in this case either, the officer adds. Monika (26), the younger sister of Manav, was sitting behind him on the scooter, when his throat was slit. 'The scooter has been parked for the last six years in front of our building. No one in our family touched it,' Monika says. The death of Manav, who was the sole breadwinner for a family of five – including his parents and his two sisters – devastated the family. 'We were returning after celebrating Raksha Bandhan. My cousins had come from Punjab. Manav was riding the scooter, and I and my sister were riding pillion. He suddenly stopped and we saw blood gushing from his throat,' Monika says. Monika is now the sole breadwinner of the family of three – her father had died in 2023. 'I work for a private firm… Since he (Manav) left us, I haven't been able to ride a two-wheeler. Every year, I hear about manjhas causing deaths. I don't know about the ban, but how come such a thing that can kill people this easily is still available in the market,' she asks. As Independence Day nears, raids on manjha godowns are expected to be stepped up, senior police officers said. 'Most suppliers get stock 48 hours before August 14, when the demand is at peak. They look to quickly sell and finish off the stock before they can be caught,' an officer added.
Time of India
2 hours ago
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Domestic violence: Low rates of conviction flag systemic gaps
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India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Woman cop strangled to death by live-in partner in Gujarat, accused surrenders
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