A self-proclaimed swamiji, Suresh Mallappa Khandekar of Jambagi village in Athani taluk of Belgaum district, who was fasting on a tree on the outskirts of his village for the last four days over a demand, was brought down and later arrested by the police on Thursday.
Khandekar (30) demanded that he would climb down only if the ‘Pallakki’ of Siddeshwar temple at Madabhavi village, which was taken out in the ongoing Siddeshwar Jatra on Thursday, comes near the tree where he was on a fast.
A BCom graduate, Khandekar has many devotees who were singing bhajans below the tree.
He also slept on the same tree, which was thorny.
Khandekar was on the tree fasting for three days during the last jatra over the same demand.
He climbed down after the villagers assured him of bringing the ‘Pallakki’ to him during the next fair, the police said.