“Karnataka: Born as Mohammad Nisar, Lingayat seer leaves Gurumalleshwara Shakha mutt after being exposed for hiding his Muslim past”, Opindia, August 5, 2025:

“A 22-year-old seer, who had been living in a mutt in Chamarajanagar in Karnataka, left the mutt on Monday (4th August), after locals found out about his Muslim identity. The seer named Nijalinga Swamy had arrived at the Gurumalleshwara Shakha mutt located in Gundulpet taluka six weeks ago. His Muslim identity was exposed last week after a devotee saw his photos wearing a skull cap and holding a beer in his hand.

The expose occurred after a local devotee requested the seer to lend him his spare mobile phone as his phone had stopped working. The seer, who had two mobile phones, gave the devotee his older phone. When the devotee went through the phone, he saw the seer’s pictures wearing a skull cap and holding a beer. The devotees swiftly informed the other devotees of the mutt, who were shocked to hear the information.

Soon the devotees confronted him about his Muslim identity, the seer admitted that he was a Muslim before joining the Lingayat sect. His Aadhaar Card also mentioned his birth name, Mohammad Nisar. He clarified that the pictures were from the time before he became a Lingayat. He said that he had not drunk beer since he converted. However, the devotees, who felt betrayed for keeping them in the dark, asked him to step down…….”

Read the full article at Opindia.com