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Less than five days after the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass burials and sexual assaults in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala, IPS officer Soumyalatha, who was initially part of the team, has stepped down from the investigation team. This was confirmed by Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Speaking to reporters on July 24, Parameshwara said, “I have not been officially informed about it. However, unofficially, I have come to know that she has written a letter about stepping down from the team. She has cited personal reasons for stepping away and has unofficially informed about her decision. She will be replaced.”
The Karnataka government had announced the formation of the SIT on July 19, after public pressure mounted over disturbing allegations raised by a whistleblower - a former Dalit sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple. The man alleged that he had been ordered to bury multiple bodies between 1995 and 2014, many of them women and children who showed signs of sexual assault.
The SIT is headed by DGP (Internal Security Division and Cyber Command) Pronab Mohanty.
Interestingly, the SIT was constituted on the same day that Home Minister Parameshwara told the media that such a move was not necessary at the preliminary stage of the investigation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier said the government would consider an SIT after receiving a police report.
Lawyers representing the whistleblower had demanded that the SIT be headed by Pronab Mohanty to ensure a fair and independent probe. The allegations have sparked widespread public outrage, prompting calls for transparency and accountability in the investigation.