The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested a complainant who claimed that mass burials and crimes took place in Dharmasthala over the past two decades. Officials said his statements and documents were inconsistent, leading to the arrest.
Arrest After Long Interrogation
The complainant, a former sanitation worker, said he worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014. He told investigators that he was forced to bury several bodies, including those of women and minors. He even claimed many of them showed signs of sexual assault.
SIT chief Pranab Mohanty and his team questioned him late into Friday night. After the interrogation, officials confirmed that he was taken for a medical examination before being placed under arrest.
ALSO READ: CBI Raids Anil Ambani-Linked Premises in Rs 2,000 Crore Bank Fraud Case
Skeletal Remains Found
The worker’s claims prompted SIT teams to dig up areas near the Netravathi River. He had pointed them to forest sites where he said the burials happened. Skeletal remains were recovered at two locations. Forensic tests are still pending to confirm their origin and identity.
Missing Daughter Allegation
The controversy grew after another complainant, Sujatha Bhat, made sensational claims. She said her daughter, Ananya, an 18-year-old medical student, went missing in Dharmasthala in 2003.
According to her earlier account, Ananya vanished while shopping near the temple town. Bhat alleged that she was later abducted, tied up, and threatened not to speak. She further said she was assaulted and went into a coma, only to recover after a month in a Bengaluru hospital.
ALSO READ: Midnight Horror in Chamoli: Cloudburst Buries Homes, People Missing | Watch
Her accusations, including links to mass burials and sexual assaults, sparked protests and public outrage. The Karnataka government then set up an SIT to probe the case.
Retraction & Property Dispute
However, Bhat recently withdrew her statements in a YouTube interview. She admitted her claims were linked to a land dispute with the temple authorities. “Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason,” she confessed.
Bhat explained that her grandfather’s land had gone to the temple authorities without her consent. She said activists Girish Mattannavar and T Jayanti encouraged her to make the allegations. But she insisted she never demanded or received money.
“Nobody demanded money from me. I have never asked anyone for money either. What I questioned was how my grandfather’s property was given away without my signature,” she said.
Government’s Stand
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara informed the Assembly that excavations had been carried out at the identified sites. He said the SIT will decide if more digging is required. He also issued a warning: if the allegations turn out to be false, legal action will follow.
ALSO READ: Slogans, Showdowns, and Strategy: Congress’ “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” Drive in Himachal Turns Chaotic
What Lies Ahead?
The Dharmasthala case has shifted from shocking crime accusations to suspicions of falsified charges, following the arrest of one complainant and the withdrawal of another’s account. It is now up to the SIT to confirm the forensic evidence and determine the veracity of the claims.
