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Seer suicide case: Three accused sent to 6-day police custody
The pontiff had also mentioned that two pontiffs and seven others used to harass him for money, said police.
The court of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), Magadi, on Monday sent three persons arrested in connection with the suicide of a Lingayat seer to police custody till November 5, officials familiar with the matter said. Police had sought 10 days custody, however, the court granted six days with an instruction to appeal if more days are required.
On Sunday, three people were arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Basavalingeshwara Swami — the head pontiff of the Kanchugal Bandemutt in Ramanagara district of Karnataka. Ramanagara district superintendent of police K Santosh Babu identified the three accused as Mrutyunjaya Swami of the Kannur mutt; a female engineering student from Doddaballapura; and Kannur mutt’s advocate Mahadevaiah.
A senior officer said that even though the purported three-page suicide note written by the deceased had mentioned several names, police arrested the woman who was behind the video chat and based on the information provided by her, two more arrests were made.
A police official who was part of the investigation team said that the Swami had detailed in the note that “an unidentified woman allegedly kept calling him frequently to gain his confidence”. “She used to get ₹500, ₹1000 from him claiming to be poor. Then she recorded a video chat without him knowing,” the officer who did not want to be named said.
The pontiff had also mentioned that two pontiffs and seven others used to harass him for money, said police. “He had stated in the note that he did not do anything wrong but won’t live with taints, as he has never done anything wrong in his 25 years of service... hence took the extreme step unwillingly,” the official said while quoting the letter.
The note also said that All India Veerashaiva Lingayat association vice-president T S Sachidananda Murthy had circulated the videos to desecrate him.
Murthy, however, denied his role in the suicide and said that he doesn’t know why the Swami quoted his name in the note.
“A few months back Swamiji disclosed that a few persons including pontiffs of Siddaganga mutt had allegedly hatched a conspiracy against him. I consoled the Swami by saying such acts should have been brought to the notice of the Siddaganga mutt pontiff,” he said.
Murthy added that he had told the seer that they could have a discussion after October 26. but in the meantime, the Swami took the extreme step. He said he will cooperate with the police investigation and appear before the police if they summon him.
According to the official citied above, police are also looking for the other accused who was involved in this blackmail. “The police team will take the engineering student to Doddaballapur where she allegedly made the video chat recordings,” the official said.
“There is nothing to hide in this suicide case. The investigation is underway,” state IGP and DGP Praveen Soon while refusing to divulge more details.
Meanwhile, an official from Ramanagara district police said on Monday, a police team interrogated a woman who is looking after the administration of the school run by the mutt.
The Kudur police had booked the three accused on Sunday under the Indian Penal Code Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (conspiracy).
Basavalingeshwara Swami was found dead in a room in his monastery on Monday last week. Police had recovered a three-page purported suicide note and registered a case of unnatural death at the Kudur police station. The mobile phones used by the seer were sent to the forensic laboratory for examination after mutt officials alleged he was being blackmailed.
