More than two weeks after shocking allegations emerged about the secret mass burial of women and children in Dharmasthala, and a day after the Karnataka government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the powerful temple administration of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala has issued its first official response.
In a statement released on Sunday, July 20, the temple authority expressed support for a “fair and transparent” investigation and expressed hope that the SIT would uncover the truth.
“A case was recently registered at the Dharmasthala police station, alleging that multiple dead bodies were buried within temple premises. This has triggered widespread public debate and confusion across the country,” said K Parshwanath Jain, the official spokesperson for Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala. “In light of public demand for accountability, we understand that the state government has handed over the case to a Special Investigation Team.”
He added, “Truth and belief form the foundation of a society’s ethics and values. We sincerely hope and strongly urge the SIT to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and bring the true facts to light.”
An FIR was registered following allegations by a 48-year-old Dalit man, formerly employed as a sanitation worker by the Dharmasthala temple administration. In his complaint, he claimed he was instructed to bury the bodies of women and children between 1995 and 2014, and alleged that some of the victims bore signs of sexual assault. He also submitted skeletal remains to the police, which were reportedly exhumed from one of the alleged burial sites.
The SIT, formed on July 19, will be led by DGP Pronab Mohanty and include DIG (Recruitment) MN Anucheth, DCP (CAR HQ) Soumyalatha and SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama.