Lingayat leaders had forced me to recommend for religious status: Siddaramaiah

News Network
December 10, 2018

Bengaluru, Dec 10: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said he was prodded by Lingayat leaders to recommend reservation for them and that his government's recommendation to the centre to grant religious minority status had led to opposition unleashing false propangda against him.

The Lingayat sect was founded by 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara, whose belief revolved around social justice, benevolence and piety instead of orthodoxical rituals and castism prevailing during his time.

"When I was the Chief Minister, seers following Basaveshwaras philosophy insisted that I give the religion tag to the Lingayat sect. It was they who persuaded me," he said.

Recollecting how Buddhism and various sects emerged to give social justice to the downtrodden, Mr Siddaramaiah recalled how the movement to recommend grant of religion tag to Lingayats gained momentum ahead of the May 2018 assembly polls.

He said the head of the Lingayat and Veerashaiva sects had demanded that the new religion be named either Lingayat or Veerashaiva.

As a middle path suggested by prominent Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa and endorsed by other Lingayat leaders, it was decided the new sect be known as Lingayat Veerashaiva sect, who have faith in Basaveshwara.

"What was wrong in that? What was my mistake? But that led to false propaganda against me (by the BJP) That's the reason that I am very careful while talking about religion," he said.

The state cabinet had on March 19 decided to recommend to the centre grant of religious minority tag for the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community.

The decision was based on the report of an expert committee that had recommended considering grant of recognition as religious minority to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayats.

Subsequently, the Karnataka minorities welfare department notified the Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats as a religious minority, but said it would come into effect after the centre's approval to the state recommendation.

Comments

Ganesh
 - 
Monday, 10 Dec 2018

siddanna that time your up to political goal now u have lost the hope of cong govt and saying like this

priyanka
 - 
Monday, 10 Dec 2018

Yes u did the same thing which is BJP party following.

Manikanth
 - 
Monday, 10 Dec 2018

what if they force, u dont have your own decisions.?

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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