On Monday, a 45-year-old Lingayat seer of Kunchagal Bande Matha was found dead in his Ashram in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka. The seer identified as Basavalingeshwara Swamy allegedly committed suicide after being harassed and blackmailed by some people. He named many people in his suicide note. The Math is located in the Magadi taluka, 50 km away from Bengaluru.
According to the reports, the police read the two paged suicide note and revealed that he was mentally harassed after being honey-trapped by a woman and was being blackmailed using his private videos. The seer allegedly identified certain persons in his suicide letter, accusing them of blackmailing and pestering him, as well as attempting to destroy his character.
It has also been claimed that the main culprit in the case is another Lingayat seer who wanted Basavalingeshwara Swamiji’s position in the ashram. The police have stated that, in addition to the seer, a group of 10-15 persons, including some politicians, are involved in the conspiracy that was well plotted against him. However, in the fresh revelations in the case, reports mention that the plot against the seer was planned by a powerful political figure in Karnataka who wanted the seer to give away 80 acres of the Kachugal Bandemath land which is located at a prime location on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.
#BREAKING | Karnataka seer suicide case: Sources say the seer was being blackmailed for 80 acres of land and a politician wanted it for his personal purpose. Watch here – https://t.co/lGh7ak2OlJ pic.twitter.com/xZMCO1WdVF
— Republic (@republic) October 27, 2022
The politician wanted the seer to sign the required documents and was mounting pressure upon him for the past 6-7 months. The politician wanted the land for personal purposes, as per a report in Republic TV. While the seer accused multiple people of tormenting and coercing him in his suicide letter, no mention of any politician has been made in the FIR.
#RepublicExclusive | Fresh twist in Karnataka seer suicide case: 1st page of suicide note reportedly missing. Sources say a powerful political figure was blackmailing the seer. Tune in for more – https://t.co/lGh7ajLLjJ pic.twitter.com/iTVOapXRHr
— Republic (@republic) October 27, 2022
So far, the police have interrogated seven people, three of them are women. Yet though, the police have declined to reveal specifics such as the identities of those identified by Basavalinga Swamy, citing the active investigation. Individuals listed by the seer, as well as those with whom he had close contact, are also expected to be questioned shortly.
Earlier, the Police had said that the seer was honey-trapped by a woman and that he was video graphed by using the woman’s phone. Later he was threatened that his videos with the woman would be made public if he failed to meet the demands. Around 10-15 people including the woman and some politicians pressurized him to give away 80 acres of the Matha land, as per reports.
Basavalingeshwara Swamy had been the chief priest of Karnataka’s Kanchugal Bande Math for many years, which has been in existence for almost 400 years now. On Monday morning, he was spotted hanging from the window grill of his Puja room on the Matha’s premises. The alert was triggered when his chamber stayed closed until 6 am, which was unusual as the seer used to wake up at 4 am.
The police have accessed the videos in which the seer can be seen smiling and conversing with a woman. Also, two mobile phones and a diary in the case have been seized. Further investigation in the case is underway.
