Seer asks Deeksha Panchamsalis to register caste as Lingayat Panchamasali in Karnataka survey

Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami of Kudalasangama Peetha has appealed to persons belonging to Lingayat Deeksha Panchamsali Samaj to register their caste as Lingayat Panchamasali in the ongoing social and educational survey in Karnataka.

Addressing presspersons in Kalaburagi on September 25, Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami said that a meeting convened by the Kalaburagi district unit of the Akhil Bharat Lingayat Deeksha Panchamasali Samaj with leaders of the community in Kalaburagi on September 24 decided that community members should register themselves as Lingayat Panchamasali in the caste column.

Asked about the religion column, the seer suggested that they register as Hindu.

The seer initially refused to take any questions regarding his alleged expulsion from the mutt, but later expressed that the Lingayat Panchamasali Trust has no power to expel him from the mutt. He added that devotees would convene a State-level meeting in a couple of days and take a decision on the future course of action.

Replying to a question, he said that though the High Court of Karnataka ordered a probe into the lathi charge on Panchamasali protesters in Belagavi in December 2024 seeking 2A reservation for Panchamasalis, the State Government failed to initiate an investigation.