Karnataka cabinet agrees to consider Lingayats as separate religion
Bengaluru: Ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, the Karnataka cabinet on Monday agreed to consider the Hindu sect of Lingayats as a separate religion, state Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra said.
"Based on the recommendations of Karnataka State Minorities Commission, the state cabinet has unanimously decided to grant status of religious minority to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats (believers of 12th century social reformer Basava's ideologies)," Jayachandra told media after the cabinet meeting.
The state cabinet has also decided to forward the commission's recommendations to the Central government for approval and notification under the National Commission for Minorities Act, he said.
"The minority status has been granted on the Commission's view that a proper recognition is to be given to the Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, on condition that the recognition would not affect the rights of other minorities in the state," Jayachandra said.
The Lingayat sect, which believes in worshipping Shiva as the universal god, say they were founded by Basava.
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Homes of two LeT terrorists involved in Pahalgam attack destroyed in blasts
New Delhi: The homes of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists allegedly involved in the recent Pahalgam terror attack were reduced to rubble in explosions carried out in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night.
According to reports, the houses belonged to Adil Hussain Thoker and Asif Sheikh, suspected to be key conspirators behind the attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists—25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen—on Tuesday in the popular tourist destination of Baisaran, Pahalgam.
Sources cited by NDTV indicated that explosives had been stored in the houses, leading to the destruction. Thoker, a resident of Anantnag district, is believed to have played a central role in executing the massacre, while Sheikh, hailing from Pulwama, is suspected of being involved in the broader conspiracy.
Following the incident, Anantnag Police released sketches of Thoker and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for credible information leading to the arrest of two other suspects believed to be Pakistani nationals.
The police notices, shared on social media platform X, identified the absconding suspects as Hashim Musa alias Suleman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, both said to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
