Karnataka seer Shivamurthy Sharanaru accused of sexually abusing school girls, arrested

Murugha Math chief Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, who is one of the key Lingayat seminaries of Karnataka, has been arrested after allegations of sexual abuse from school girls.

The arrested chief Shivamurthy Sharanaru will be produced before judge. Medical test and investigation will be done as per the procedure: Alok Kumar, ADGP Law and Order, Karnataka.

Lingayat seer is the primary accused in the FIR registered last week, the chief warden of mutt’s hostel was earlier detained by the police as criticism against the police and government inaction mounted.

In another move, the mutt has reportedly put the blame for the conspiracy on the seer’s childhood friend and former administrator of the Murugha mutt, SK Basavarajan, and his wife. A counter complaint of rape and kidnap case has been registered against Basavarajan by the warden of Muruga mutt, Rashmi.

Basavarajan and Shivamurthy are from the same village and they belong to the Jangamaru community of the Lingayat. They had joined the mutt in the same year and Basavarajan was supposed to become the next chief pontiff of the mutt. However, he fell in love with Sowbhagya and left the mutt. Shivamurthy Sharanaru then took over the mantle.

Basavarajan and Sowbhagya were appointed as the administrator of the mutt and the former became the signing authority for all transactions at the mutt.

Published on: Thursday, September 01, 2022, 10:53 PM IST