Two IPS officers not too keen to be part of SIT formed to probe Dharmastala case

BENGALURU: The pilgrim town of Dharmasthala is back in the headlines for the wrong reasons over alleged mass burials. A day after the state government announced formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case, two of the four senior IPS officers seemed to be backing out of the SIT over personal reasons.

According to the complaint, hundreds of unknown bodies allegedly buried in the Dharmasthala forest area. The government has decided to take the matter to its logical end and has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by senior IPS officer Pronab Mohanty.

However, just a day after the SIT was announced, initial hiccups have surfaced. Sources reveal that two of the four IPS officers in the SIT have stepped back from the investigation. The two IPS officers, M N Anucheth and Soumyalatha, have reportedly written to the government citing personal reasons and requested to be relieved from the SIT.

An unidentified man has claimed several bodies have been buried in Dharmastala forests.

The controversy began when advocates Ojasvi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande shared a letter on social media on June 22, revealing information about the alleged burial of bodies in Dharmasthala. The letter claimed that an anonymous person had disposed of hundreds of bodies under pressure from someone and had even handed over a skull to the Belthangady police.

The police registered a complaint and began an investigation. However, the anonymous person filed a complaint with the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police on July 3 with the help of lawyers, revealing horrific details.