It's not loud here. That’s the first thing you notice.
Even with the number of reporters, police, lawyers and activists now orbiting around this small town, Dharmasthala remains oddly quiet. That kind of quiet makes your voice sound too loud when you ask questions. It makes people lower theirs when they respond.
I have been on the ground here for a month now, covering the Dharmasthala mass burial case and the larger questions that have resurfaced about the people who were killed or went missing here. And in this time, I have come to understand that silence, not resistance, is the dominant force here. People are not shouting you down; they are just not talking.
Conversations drop the moment you pull out a notebook. You are asked, more often than not: “Who sent you?”
In one village, a woman said she had heard about the case “long ago,” then turned her face away when I asked her thoughts on it now. In another, a young man hovered nearby during interviews, quietly noting down vehicle numbers. Most people don’t say no to interviews, they simply say, “There’s nothing to say.”
And yet, everyone knows. Everyone remembers.
This isn’t an easy story to cover. It involves questions of power, history and accountability. The temple isn’t just a religious space, it holds deep social and political influence here. That makes it harder for people to talk and harder for journalists to report.
This week, three YouTubers were attacked while filming in the area. Their cameras were broken, memory cards taken. It was a sudden burst of something that had been quietly building, a warning, maybe. Or just a release of long-held resentment toward anyone asking too many questions.
I am from Udupi, 90 km away from Dharmasthala. My family too has over the years heard many stories about the place. As soon as news of the attack spread, they wanted me to come back. But taking the precautions I can, I stayed back with my team.
Because, stories like this can’t be told from a distance. They require time, not just to get information, but to understand the weight of what’s being left unsaid. It takes days of waiting, sometimes just for someone to agree to meet you in person. It takes patience to hear the full pause in someone’s voice when you mention a name they are afraid to repeat.
At The News Minute, we have been on the ground in Dharmasthala, bringing verified updates every single day.
I’ve been here for a month and I know that there is more work to be done. Because this story isn’t over.
There are people that still need to be heard, truths that haven’t been spoken, and stories that haven’t been told yet. And to do that I need your support in watching, reading and sharing our stories.
You could also help me stay on the ground by contributing to TNM’s Reporting Fund today.