Bengaluru, Aug. 5 -- A 22-year-old Lingayat seer, Nijalinga Swamy, was forced to relinquish his position at a mutt in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district today after devotees discovered his former identity as a Muslim, leading to protests and unrest among the local community. The seer, who had headed the year-old Gurumalleshwara Shakha mutt in Gundlupet taluk for just six weeks, had taken basava deeksha at the age of 17. Born as Mohammed Nisar in Yadgir district, he converted to the Lingayat faith driven by his deep admiration for 12th-century social reformer Basavanna. The controversy erupted last week when a staff member accessed Swamy's old mobile phone and came across his Aadhaar card, revealing his birth name and religion. Photos of hi...