Tales of friendship, jealousy, love and corruption: The story behind Lingayat seer rape expose
India Today
An FIR was registered against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru after a complaint was filed on behalf of two minors on August 26. He has been booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Digging deep into the alleged case of rape against Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, India Today found out a story of love, jealousy, corruption and broken-ties how two childhood friends turned from each other’s confidants to foes.
A case of rape and kidnapping was registered against Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru on August 26 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 for allegedly sexually assaulting minors in Karnataka. However, the seer has denied the allegations and blamed the former administrator of Karnataka’s Muruga mutt, SK Basavarajan, and his wife for conspiring against him.
Sources close to the seer believe that Basavarajan and his wife are the main conspirators behind the POCSO case against him.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered against Basavaraj SK and his wife Sowbhagaya. In a counter complaint, a rape and kidnap case was registered against Basavarajan by the warden of Muruga mutt, Rashmi. She registered a complaint at Chitradurga rural police station under IPC Sec 354(A),504,506,363, & u/s 120(B).
Basavarajan SK and Shivamurthy Sharanaru are from the same village. They both belong to the Jangamaru community of the Lingayat and had joined the mutt in the same year.
Basavarajan was supposed to become the next chief pontiff of the mutt but he fell in love with Sowbhagya and left. Shivamurthy Sharanaru was the next in line.
After his marriage to Sowbhagya, Basavarajan was appointed as the administrator of the mutt. Basavarajan formed a committee and became the signing authority for all transactions at the mutt.
