BENGALURU: The 62-year-old seer of Chilume Mutt in Solur of Magadi taluk in Ramanagara district, was found hanging in the mutt on Monday morning. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained. The deceased, Sri Basavalinga Swamy, hailed from Doddaballapura taluk and was staying in the mutt since 1982.
Police said the incident came to light at around 7.30am when the mutt staff came for work. He found the seer hanging from a window grill in the mutt, and alerted police. “Prima facie, it appears to be suicide. However, we have taken up a case of suspicious death, based on a complaint filed by the staff. Though the seer has not left any death note, he has written in his diary about his financial transactions.
As per the statement of the staff, the incident took place after the seer performed puja around 5am. The staff also mentioned that the seer had some health problems and appeared upset since the past two weeks. We are awaiting the postmortem report for further action,” police said, adding that there was no dispute over the 14 acres of land of the mutt. A case was registered at Kudur police station.
As the mutt has connections to Sree Siddaganga Mutt, the Siddaganga pontiff took part in the last rites of the seer.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance)