Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case: Skeletal Remains Found on Third Day of Exhumation

Eight potential burial sites are being investigated as part of the Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case. The SIT is also compiling a list of missing persons and unidentified bodies over the past 20 years.

Bengaluru: In a crucial breakthrough in the Dharmasthala mass burial case, skeletal remains were found at spot number six on Tuesday, July 29. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Karnataka government, was investigating the claims of a former sanitation worker of the Dharmasthala temple who alleged that he was forced to dispose of the bodies of girls and women who were allegedly raped and murdered over nearly two decades. Asianet Suvarna News has obtained the visuals of the exhumation process.

The skeletal remains were found buried two feet deep. It is yet to be ascertained whether the remains belong to a human. According to reports, the SIT believes the remains are that of a male body. Eight points remain, which have been cordoned off and secured by the investigation team based on the witness's statement. Of these, three are still within the forest.

Four locations have been identified along the national highway near the Netravati River, with another situated on a narrow road connecting the Netravati bathing ghat to Ajjukuri. Additionally, the sanitation worker pointed out two sites on private property in Kanyadi, where the SIT will need special permission to conduct searches. At each of these locations, the investigation team is carrying out digging operations, expanding the search beyond the specific areas mentioned by the witness.

Missing Persons List Being Prepared

Earlier, the SIT had decided to compile a list of missing persons over the past 20 years in connection with the Dharmasthala mass burial case. The count of mysterious deaths and unidentified bodies will also be taken. Currently, security has been tightened at the SIT camp in Belthangadi. Officials from the Land Records, Revenue, and Forest Departments visited the SIT camp.

The case was transferred to the SIT after a former sanitation worker of the Dharmasthala temple told the police that he was forced to dispose of the bodies of girls and women who were allegedly raped and murdered in Dharmasthala between 1998 and 2014. He testified that bodies were buried in various locations, including the reserved forest in Dharmasthala. The SIT collected documents from the Dharmasthala police station, including the FIR and related records.

DCP Sowmyalatha, the only female IPS officer on the SIT, has withdrawn from the probe, citing personal reasons in her resignation letter. Home Minister G. Parameshwara assured that another female officer will be appointed to the 24-member SIT led by DGP Pranab Kumar Mohanty.