‘Never Hid It': Seer Forced To Quit After Aadhaar Card Reveals Muslim Roots Before ‘Deeksha'
The seer said that he did not hide his religion before 'deeksha' and was "hurt" by the incident.
A 22-year-old seer was forced to step down from a mutt in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district on Sunday, over allegations that he did not disclose his religion by birth during anointment.
This comes after a section of villagers objected to his role, citing his religious status as a Muslim before taking Basava Deeksha, Times of India reported.
The seer had taken ' deeksha ' five years ago and was given the name 'Nijalinga Swamiji'. He joined the mutt as its new seer just over a month ago.
He was, however, forced to step down after the revelation of his Muslim identity before deeksha, as some devotees alleged that he had not informed them about his religion by birth.
However, the seer told TOI that everyone knew about his religion before taking deeksha, and he never kept it from them.
SP BT Kavita said that no complaints were received relating to the incident.
'One of the devotees at the mutt approached my guru to send a seer to the mutt, and in keeping with the Guru's wish, I joined. I was involved in spreading 'vachana's in the villages," the Swamiji told TOI.
'An ardent follower of Basavanna's principles, I was hurt by the incident as I took ' deeksha ' to spread the 'vachana's that preach brotherhood. I am totally cut off from my pre- ' deeksha ' religion," the Swamiji said.
'I was forced to quit the mutt on the ground that I didn't disclose my pre- Basava Deeksha religion, but everyone knows about my pre- Basava Deeksha religion. I never hid it," he added.
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