Who Is Karanataka Seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru Arrested In POCSO Case?

Shiva Murthy Murugha Sharanaru, the accused seer from Karnataka in sexual assault case, is the present pontiff of the Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in Karnataka's Chitradurga.

Bengaluru: Shiva Murthy Murugha Sharanaru, the accused seer from Karnataka in sexual assault case, is the present pontiff of the Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in Karnataka’s Chitradurga. He has been arrested on charges of sexual assault on two minor girls staying at the hostel of the religious institution. Two girls, aged 16 and 15, had told members of the state Child Welfare Committee they were sexually assaulted between January 1, 2019, and June 6, 2022, according to media reports. They left the hostel in July.

WHO IS SHIVA MURTHY MURUGHA SHARANARU?

The mutt Shiva Murthy Murugha Sharanaru heads is one of the most prominent Lingayat mutts in the state. Both current Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor BS Yediyurappa are from the Lingayat community. Hence, the mutt and the seer have great political influence in the state.  Earlier this year Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had also met him in the Mutt during his visit to Karnataka.

• Historically, the Murugha Mutt has involved itself in cultural, social, academic and social activities for three centuries. The mutt was established in 1703 A.D. and has guided the rulers of the Chitradurga fort, as per a report by indiatimes.
• In his position as the pontiff of the Mutt, the accused seer Murugha Sharanaru took lead to organise small caste groups, especially untouchables.
• He helped these marginalised groups establish their own religious mutts. Under these mutts, backward and exploited castes of the state went on to become united groups.
• The Murugarajendra Math experienced drastic changes after he took charge, says the Mutt website. He rejected many age-old rituals practiced in the math which were ‘inconsistent with the philosophy and culture of Sharanas’.
• He renounced the titles like ‘Jagadguru’ and ‘swamiji’ and wished to call himself a ‘Sharana’, which means ‘one who has dedicated himself completely to god’.
• He took a revolutionary step of allowing women to ‘Karthri Gaddige’, the place where the body of Shri Muruge Shantaveera Swamiji, founder of the Math was laid to rest and worshipped.
• He also initiated many youth to monkhood with lingadharana.
• He was actively involved in the propagation of the Basava philosophy and its execution in day to day life through programs designed for the math and the disciples.
• He also travelled widely both within the country and abroad for their execution. He has travelled across the globe including to the countries like USA, Australia, New-Zealand, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, and many more to propogate the Basava philosophy.
• He welcomed scholars, social workers and political leaders to Matha and honoured them.
• He has been conducting mass marriages on 5th of every month for people of all communities irrespective of caste, class ad religious background.
• The widows are also allowed to get remarried in these mass marriage ceremonies. So far more than 10,000 couples have tied the knot in these mass marriage ceremonies, as per the Mutt’s website.

The sexual harassment case was first registered against the Lingayat seer by a child welfare committee in Mysuru on August 26, on behalf of the minor girls who left the mutt hostel in July. And then the case was transferred to Chitradurga where the mutt is located.

However, Shivamurthy Sharanaru claimed that the allegations framed against him were part of a long-drawn conspiracy and he also claimed that he would be proved innocent in the case. He also went on to defend that the case was the handiwork of his adversaries who tend to resort to blackmail or ‘roll call’ as a method to gain power.

The arrest of the sheer comes following protests by Dalit organisations.