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Human remains, suspected to be of a man, have been found at Dharmasthala on the third day of excavation, according to Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials investigating the alleged mass burials case. The remains were found on Thursday, July 31, at Spot 6 near the Nethravathi river — one of the thirteen spots where the whistleblower claimed he had buried many bodies between 1995 and 2014.
While it is unclear what parts of the skeleton were found, sources said that the remains belonged to a male. The remains were found at a depth of three feet. They also said that the exhumation at Spot 6 has been concluded.
This is the first major breakthrough since a former sanitation worker made sensational claims about having buried many bodies in Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district.
Following the discovery of human remains at Spot 6, the SIT team is yet to take a decision on whether to begin excavation at Spot 7 immediately.
The remains were found on the third day after the SIT began to excavate at the locations pointed out by the former sanitation worker on July 29. The work on the excavation has also been proceeding slowly, as the continuous rains in the area is said to be affecting the operations.
Over the next few days, the SIT is expected to continue excavation at other sites he has identified.
Most of the spots identified by the complainant are located close to the banks of the Nethravathi river. The SIT had dug around six feet deep into the first spot, which is right on the riverbank. The second, third and fourth spots are located close to each other and the excavations conducted on these sites on July 30 were said to be only around three to four feet deep.
The whistleblower, a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple, has alleged that over 20 years, he was repeatedly ordered by his superiors to bury several bodies, many of them women and girls who appeared to have been sexually assaulted.
On July 28, he led the SIT to the alleged burial sites near the snana ghatta, the bathing ghat at the Nethravathi, which flows close to the temple. Officials from the revenue, forest and other departments accompanied the SIT as the whistleblower pointed out each location and described the circumstances in which the bodies were buried.
Allegations of mass burials at Dharmasthala first came to light towards the end of June, when advocates representing the man, who has remained anonymous for his safety, held a press conference detailing the man’s claims.
The man filed a complaint with the Dharmasthala police station through his lawyers on July 3, and the police registered an FIR the next day. The Belthangady court recorded his statement under Section 183 of the BNSS on July 11, after which he agreed to lead investigators to the alleged burial sites. The SIT is now tasked with confirming the identities of the recovered remains and determining whether more bodies are buried at the other marked locations.