Seer of Lingayat Mutt in Gundlupet steps down after devotees learn of his religious background
Chamarajnagar: A young Lingayat seer heading the Gurumalleshwara Dasoha Mutt in Chowdahalli, Gundlupet taluk, was compelled to leave his position after his Muslim background came to light and the villagers objected to his appointment.
The 22-year-old seer, Nijalinga Swamy, had taken charge of the Mutt one-and-a-half months ago.
The seer was born into a Muslim family as Mohammad Nasir in Shahapur village of Yadgir district but, after being attracted by the principles of Basavanna at a young age, he took ‘deeksha’ (religious initiation) as Nijalinga Swamy at a Shakha Mutt. He headed the Mutt in Basavakalyana in Bidar as suggested by a senior seer and held religious services as well as sermons.
On Friday, August 1, however, a devotee of the Mutt found Nijalinga Swamy’s Aadhaar card details in his mobile phone and informed the village residents of the seer’s background. When questioned, the seer told the villagers that he was born into a different religion but took ‘deeksha’ in 2021 as he was attracted by the teachings of Basavanna.
The villagers, who were upset that the seer had not revealed his background while taking charge of the Mutt, demanded that he step down as head of the Mutt.
Gundlupet Police Inspector Jayakumar and constables arrived at Chowdahalli and spoke to the villagers as well as the seer, who agreed to step down if the villagers objected to his heading the Mutt. He is also learned to have returned to his native place after the incident in Gundlupet.
Officials who probed the matter have found documents relating to his taking ‘deeksha’, participating in a religious event with other seers and also his background.
Mahadeva Prasad, a native of Chowdahalli who currently lives in Australia, had provided land and financial aid to build the Gurumalleshwara Dasoha Mutt, which was established a year ago. The Mutt was initially headed by Akkamahadevi Mathaji, who stepped down for personal reasons, after which, Nijalinga Swamy took charge of the Mutt.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
