Panji, July 19: Two women from Mumbai accused the priest of Shree Mangueshi Temple in Goa of sexually abusing them in separate incidents last month. The duo alleged that the priest had forcibly hugged and kissed them in the temple premises. Though the temple authority initiated an inquiry, the accused priest has not be removed yet.

According to the letter to the temple management by one of the victims, on June 14, the priest stopped her from following her parents into the inner sanctum. When she bent down to touch his feet as a mark of respect, the priest grabbed her by the shoulder and kissed her, she said in her letter. She also asked the management to check CCTV footage for proof.

“His grip was so tight, I was not able to move…before I could even understand what he was trying to do he tried to kiss me and managed to kiss me on my cheek…In a sacred space, and from a sagacious person like a Purohit, last thing you expect is a sexual attack,” she wrote, as reported by Indian Express. The second incident allegedly took place on June 22.

The second complainant alleged that the priest sexually abused her in the locker area. The priest put his arm on her shoulder and forcibly kissed her on the cheek, she has complained. “I was traumatized and repulsed by this disturbing behavior of inappropriately touching and kissing me,” reads her complaint.

Anil Kenkre, secretary of the temple management, Shree Manguesh Devasthan, said only responded to the second complainant and stated that action against the priest will be taken “as deemed fit on the findings of the Authority when made available to us”. He also said an internal inquiry into the matter didn't find anything against the accused priest.

“During the inquiry, the committee could not lay its hand on any dependable evidence to establish a prima facie case. The nature of allegations are such that it restricts the scope of further inquiry by the managing committee. The committee therefore came to (the) conclusion to request you to approach the appropriate authority to redress your grievance," reads the response.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 09:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).