A 22-year-old Lingayat seer resigned from his position at a mutt in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar after objections were raised to his appointment over his Muslim background. A local resident discovered Nijalinga Swamy's birth name recorded as Mohammed Nisar on his Aadhaar card. The seer, however, said he was "totally cut off" from the religion he had before taking 'deeksha' (religious initiation).