SIT to probe Dharmasthala 'mass burials', crimes against women; all about the case

The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged mass burials, disappearances, and crimes against women and minors in Karnataka’s temple town, Dharmasthala, over the past two decades.

The SIT will be led by the Director General of Police (DGP), Internal Security Division, and Cyber Command Pronab Mohanty.

The government’s decision comes in the wake of allegations of mass burials made by a former employee of the Dharamsthala temple.

Here is all you need to know about the case.

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What is the case?

In a shocking revelation, a former sanitation worker employed with the Dharamsthala temple administration in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, recently claimed that he buried or burned over 500 bodies, mostly of women and minors, all rape and murder victims, between 1998 and 2014, at the behest of influential figures.

Dharmasthala, in the Dakshina Kannada district, is a major pilgrimage centre, with Lord Manjunatha as the presiding deity.

The matter came to light after the former employee lodged a complaint with police on July 3. He also provided skeletal remains of the victims that he had secretly exhumed as evidence. A case was filed based on his complaint.

The man had appeared before the Beltangady court and testified to his claims before a magistrate.

What are the allegations?

The complainant has said that many of the bodies, mostly of women and minors, that he disposed of while working with the temple, bore signs of sexual assault and violence like strangulation and wounds. Some were disposed of near the Netravathi River, and others burned using diesel and chemicals, he has claimed.

The complainant, whose identity has been kept a secret for his safety, has reportedly told the police that he was threatened to dump the body and had no other option but to follow the instructions.

He has reportedly shared several horrifying examples, including burying the body of a minor that showed signs of rape and strangulation and that of a woman whose face was disfigured with acid. Several men were also among the victims, he has told police.

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Complainant demands protection

The complainant told police that he had fled in 2014 and has been underground ever since. He, however, has refused to disclose the names of the perpetrators as some of them are influential individuals.

“I am prepared to reveal their names and exact roles once I receive protection under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018, for myself and my family,” he said in his statement.

SIT to probe case

After facing pressure from several fronts for a detailed probe into the issue, the Karnataka government has finally formed an SIT that will investigate not only the allegations of mass burials but also cases of disappearances and crimes against women over the past two decades.

In an order issued on Saturday, the government said that it found it “appropriate” to form an SIT to investigate crimes under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Dharmasthala Police Station and “all other criminal cases registered/to be registered in other police stations across the state of Karnataka in connection with it.”

According to HT, the SIT will be headed by DGP Mohanty and will include Deputy Inspector General of Police (Recruitment) MN Anucheth; Deputy Commissioner of Police of City Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters Soumyalatha; and superintendent of police (internal security division) Jitendra Kumar Dayama.

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Earlier on Saturday, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara had said a preliminary investigation has begun and "if a more detailed probe is deemed necessary, the government will take a call" on setting up a Special Investigation Team.

Based on the complainant’s claims, the Karnataka Police had earlier said that they would exhume remains near the Nethravathi River.

Outrage, demand for detailed probe

The allegations have sparked massive outrage in the state with several political parties, celebrities, advocates, human rights organisations and sections of the civil society demanding a proper inquiry into the matter.

The State Commission for Women had demanded the Siddaramaiah government to form an SIT headed by senior police officers to probe the “cases of missing women and female students, unnatural death/murder cases, and rape cases in the Dharmasthala area over the last 20 years.”

Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Saturday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an inquiry by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the reports of disappearances, unnatural deaths, and sexual assaults in Dharmasthala.

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Last week, a group of lawyers, led by retired Supreme Court judge V Gopala Gowda, who had urged the government for an SIT probe into the issue, had alleged that the investigation was not on proper lines.

“There are lapses on the part of the police investigation agency in this matter. It is the cardinal duty of the police investigation agency to unearth the truth by exhuming the bodies, but that is not happening,” Gowda had said.

Leading Kannada film stars including actors Ramya, Prakash Raj and Rakesh Adiga also demanded a fair and high-level investigation into the case through social media.