JOIN USMembers of the Havyaka Brahmin community expressed their displeasure over Ramachandrapur mutt seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi, accused of rape, at a religious meet here on Thursday.
The meet, chaired by former minister K H Sreenivas, decided to set up a forum comprising members of the community to restore the lost image of the mutt, based in Hosanagar taluk.
For the first time, the devotees expressed their unhappiness against the seer in the open, after the rape case was registered against him.
Speaking on the occasion, Sreenivas said, “Nobody is above the mutt. Besides, we have no enmity against the seer. The followers of the mutt had supported the seer when the latter was accused of rape charges. But the situation is different now. It’s unfortunate that the seer maintained a good rapport only with the rich and the influential.”
Referring to the allegations that the mutt received threat calls from complainant, he said the seer could have convened a meeting of the Mutt members. Instead, he made the couple to spend 21 days in the prison, using political influence. All these developments indicate that the seer was hiding certain facts from the Mutt followers.
District Bar Association president Ashok G Bhat said the reports of the DNA tests and other medical examinations conducted on the seer are positive. It proved that the charges made by the woman against the seer were true. However, the court will decide whether he is guilty or not. If the medical reports are not true, let the seer demand a CBI inquiry into the case, he added.
Around 300 members from various parts of the State, including Sachidananda Hegade from Sirsi, CBL Hegade from Hubballi, T T Hegade from Kumta, Seetharam Rao Hosabale, C Gopalakrishna Rao, Sushanth Puttur, Indira Mohan Hegade and Manjunath Hegade Hosabale and others were present.