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Karnataka police: Mutt pontiff found dead, suicide suspected
The head pontiff of a prominent Lingayat mutt who was found dead in his room in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district a day ago allegedly died by suicide, police said on Tuesday
The head pontiff of a prominent Lingayat mutt who was found dead in his room in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district a day ago allegedly died by suicide, police said on Tuesday.
A purported three-page note has been recovered from the mutt that said the seer was battling with depression for the past six months, police said, adding that a case of unnatural death has been registered at the Kudur police station.
In the purported note, the pontiff had mentioned few names, but it did not blame anyone for “harassment”, “threat” or “blackmail” as alleged by some devotees of the 44-year-old seer and officials of the mutt, said Ramanagara superintendent of police (SP) K Santhosh Babu.
“This blackmail angle is just a rumour. We have recovered a three-page death note of Swamiji. He clearly mentioned he was under depression for the last six months,” the SP told HT.
He, however, refused to divulge details and names mentioned in the purported suicide note citing that the investigation is on.
The incident came to light on Monday morning after the staff of Kunchagal Bande Mutt, which has a history of over 400 years, found Sri Basavalingeshwara Swami (44) hanging in the room. “After the seer did not open the door on Monday morning and did not respond to repeated phone calls, a mutt staff broke open the door and found him dead,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.
The seer, who headed the prominent Lingayat mutt for 25 years, used to visit Mahalingeshwar temple, around half a km from the mutt, everyday around 6am, said police. On Monday, the temple’s priest called the seer’s driver about his whereabouts after he did not visit the temple. The seer’s driver found him hanging from the window grill of his room and alerted the devotees at the mutt, police said.
Alleging that the seer was being harassed, a mutt official claimed the pontiff spoke with a local leader till 1.30 am on Monday. “He probably took the extreme step sometime between 2am and 4 am,” claimed the official, declining to be identified, pointing out that the pontiff used to wake up around 4 am.
Police said they will question those named in the purported suicide note and also those who were in close contact with the seer at the mutt and over phone. “The pontiff’s mobile phone has been sent to a FSL (forensic science laboratory) for more details,” said the SP.
“In the death note, the seer mentioned few names while narrating some incidents. It did not blame anyone for his suicide.”
The seer’s last rites were performed on Monday evening as per the Lingayat rituals, after completing due procedures and post-mortem examination, an officer said.
Meanwhile, thousands of followers of the mutt reached to pay their last respects to the seer, who had taken over the reins of the mutt in 1997 and had recently celebrated the silver jubilee as the chief priest. “I’m shocked after hearing the news of the pontiff ending his life,” Veerabhadrappa, a disciple of the seer, told HT. “The seer was very active in establishing many educational institutions and providing free education to the poor.”
A decade ago, the Karnataka government had decided to set up a waste disposal unit in Bengaluru. The seer had led a large number of people, including farmers, to protest against the project, prompting the government to abandon it.
This is the second suicide of a seer in the southern state in as many months. On September 5, Basava Siddalinga Swami of Gurumadiwaleshwar mutt at Neginhal in Belagavi district died by suicide after an audio clip of purported conversation between two women about sexual accusations against pontiffs went viral on social media.
The deceased pontiff was a close associate of Chitradurga Murugha mutt seer Shivamurthy Sharanaru, who has been booked for sexual assault of minor girls under the protection of children against sexual offences (Pocso) Act.
(With inputs from Coovercolly Indresh)
