Karnataka POCSO Case: History and Politics of Murugha Mutt Seer Dr Sharanaru

Seer Dr Shivamurthy Sharanaru, the main accused in a POCSO case, has been sent to police custody till 5 September.

Dr Shivamurthy Sharanaru, the accused seer in a rape and sexual abuse case, is the present chief pontiff of Murugha Mutt in Karnataka’s Chitradurga. The seer was arrested six days after an FIR was registered, where in he is booked under POCSO (Protection of Children From Sexual Offences) Act and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Early in the day on Friday, 2 September, the seer was shifted to district hospital, after he complained of chest pain. A team of doctors who checked on him, conducted tests to ensure he is fine. However, things changed after the sessions court’s order in Chitradurga ruled that the seer must be in police custody for three days, till 5 September.

Sources tell The Quint that the fear of Lingayat community's backlash and equations between the mutt and political class of state led to the delay in arrest and investigation of the seer in Chitradurga.

Who Is Seer Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru?

According to historical records, the mutt was established in 1704, with the lineage of its seers tracing back to Sri Murugha Shanthaveereshwara Swamiji. His successor, Murige Swamiji II, was honoured as 'Raja Guru' by Baramanna Nayaka and his son Hire Madakari Nayaka, both generals in the Vijayanagara Empire.

Since then, the mutt grew exponentially with branch mutts mushrooming across the state. Starting from Sri Murige Swamiji I to the present Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, twenty pontiffs have adorned the religious seat of the mutt.

The prime accused in the POCSO case, Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru is a 64-year-old seer belonging to the dominant Lingayat community. At present, he heads and is the chief pontiff of Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in Chitradurga.

He was ordained into the monastic order in 1991 and since then the seer has been actively involved in promoting the Lingayat cause. The seer holds a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree in Vachana Literature and has travelled both within and outside the country to propagate 12th century poet social reformer Basavanna’s philosophy.

The seer was seen as a revolutionary, after he established Upa Mathas’ – subsidiary monasteries. He further helped marginalised groups to pick their own heads from their own caste groups. Thus, attempting at grassroots level democracy.

“In an attempt to establish a secular image of himself, the seer started these other mutts. He made Sri Madara Chennaiah, a Dalit, head of Sri Sharana Madara Guru Peetha. But the Lingayats continue to remain the dominant community after all.”

Devotee, Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga

The incumbent chief pontiff was also involved in conducting mass marriages, which allowed widows to get remarried. Denouncing title of ‘Jagadguru’, the seer espoused and practiced ‘Dasoha’ – distribution of essentials, as opposed to Daana – accumulation through gifts. In this regard, the seer heads over 20 educational and charitable institutions run by the mutt.

Politics at Play in Murugha Sharanaru’s POCSO Case?

The delayed arrest of Dr Shivamurthy Sharanaru, even as he was booked under non-bailable POCSO and SC/ST Act has surprised many, but not the political pundits in the state.

According political analyst SM Jamdar, the Murugha Mutt is one of the biggest institutions with over 200 branches in South India. However, he says that in the last few years the mutt has come to lose its credibility.

Speaking to The Quint, Jamdar says, "The current pontiff took over in the year 1991. Despite, the the mutt having the legacy of over two centuries, the actions of the seer Shivamurthy Sharanaru during the separate Lingayat movement led to the loss of respect towards the mutt."

In 2018, the seer had come out in support of Siddaramaiah's Congress government, applauding him for recognising the Lingayat sect as a religious minority.

The seer had also submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah in March 2018 seeking approval of the minority religion status for Lingayats as recommended by the Karnataka government.

However, the political clout of the seer diminished when the heads of the Upa Mathas, who are from the Backward Classes and Dalit groups started shaping their own political ideologies.

While, Shivamurthy demanded minority status for Lingayats, Madara Chennaiah, the pontiff of Sri Sharana Madara Guru Peetha, and student of Murugha seer was seen holding a series of meetings with senior BJP leader Amit Shah before the 2018 assembly elections.

Recently, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat also met with Madara Chennaiah and they discussed "the work their organisations were engaged in building a strong Hindu society."

Dr Shivamurthy Sharanaru, in an attempt to concretise his secular and progressive credentials had also started conferring Basavashree Award in 1997, to people who have contributed to the development of society through their respective fields of study.

Some of awardees include: Dalai Lama, Malala Yousufai, Vandana Shiva, Medha Pathkar, Anna Hazare, Sri Gaddar, Swami Agnivesh, Shabana Azmi, G Venkatasubbiah, and others.

Note journalist and author P Sainath who was the recipient of the Basavashree award in 2016, returned it on Friday, and wrote, "In solidarity with the survivors and with the cause of Justice in this case, I hereby return the Basavashree award (and the Rs 5 lakh prize money that came with it, by cheque) conferred on me by the mutt in 2017."

Political Analyst Jamdar remarked, "The seer has been hiding behind a facade of being an intellectual and rationalist to cover up his alleged criminal track record."

According to a senior Congress leader, the cost of shielding Murugha seer is immense and the Congress leadership is not ready to do so. He told The Quint, "Our former president Rahul Gandhi visited the mutt recently and also took 'Linga Deeksha' – initiation into Lingayatism by receiving an Ishtalinga from the seer. Recently, the swamiji also stood with us during the Mekedaatu Padayaatra. But, the allegations against him are grave and the party is not ready to risk its credibility by backing him, during the election year."

Taking to Twitter, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote, "The allegations against Chitradurga Muruga Mutt Swamiji are serious. The police should carry out impartial investigation based on the complaint filed by the girls and reveal the truth."

The political relevance of seer Shivamurthy Sharanaru came to question after the Congress fared terribly in the 2018 assembly elections in Karnataka. This was because the Congress believed BJP's Lingayat vote bank would suffer a split as Murugha Swamiji had backed for minority status of the community.

However, the party which had won four out of the six seats in Chitradurga during the 2013 elections, won with great difficulty just one seat in 2018 Assembly election.

“Though, several factors were at play during elections, it becomes clear that the seer was not able to influence the voters during the elections, or perhaps the seer never intended to back the Congress in first place,” added Jamdar.

BJP and Congress Fear Lingayat Backlash: Experts

Sources tell The Quint that, the huge following of Murugha mutt and fear of Lingayat community's backlash is forcing political parties to remain silent and to hesitate in making any public comments.

The same is being said about the Karnataka government. Tight-lipped and treading cautiously in solving the case, Bommai government refused to make any comment on the case.

Despite the seer's backing of the Congress in several of its policy decisions, the mutt's leadership is also very close to veteran BJP leader and former Chief Ministe BS Yediyurappa, given his long association with his predecessor Sri Mallikarjuna Swamiji.

Despite, Yediyurappa backing the case, the BJP doesn't want to take a strong stand on the matter, given that the Assembly elections are due in May next year.

Speaking to The Quint, a minister in the Bommai government and senior leader of the Karnataka BJP said, "The party is in tandem with the government, which is allowing the investigation to take its own course. We cannot risk backing anybody now."

Political analyst CS Dwarkanath also observed that there exists a phobia about Lingayat backlash in the state.

"Both BJP and the opposition fear the Lingayat outrage, something the two parties are not able to ignore given the elections. This is the fundamental reason behind the delay in investigation."

The political analyst also added that the seer failed to garner political support due to his ambiguous approaches to statements. Following the Rahul Gandhi's initiation into Lingayatism, the seer later went on to say that there is no alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that BJP must come back to power.