‘Public hue and cry’: Minister Parameshwara over Dharmasthala mass burial case

BENGALURU Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said that the Special Investigation Team will probe the Dharmasthala mass burial case as there is “public hue and cry” over the matter.

The Karnataka Government today issued an order to constitute a SIT to probe the matter related to alleged incidents of mass murder, mass rape, and mass burial in Dharmasthala town.

The development follows a letter from the Karnataka State Women’s Commission (KSWC).

“The government has constituted an SIT to look into the Dharmasthala issues. There has been a complaint. There has been a public hue and cry. The government has taken note of all this and then constituted an SIT to look into this entire thing…If somebody is thinking of creating some political issue out of this at this point of time, I don’t want to react to all that”, Parameshwara told reporters.

In their letter, the KSWC cited a media report which consisted of a statement from a person who had claimed that bodies were buried in the past 20 years in the region.

#WATCH | Bengaluru | On state government to form SIT to probe wherein bodies were allegedly discovered in Dharmasthala, Karnataka Minister G Parameshwara says, “The government has constituted an SIT to look into the Dharmasthala issues. There has been a complaint. There has been… pic.twitter.com/o9Qrlc32qq

— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2025

The government order said that it was found appropriate to form a Special Investigation Team to investigate the cases registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS) at the Dharmasthala police station.

Earlier on July 16, a group of concerned public-interest lawyers met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Chief Minister’s Residence “Krishna” to urgently request the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged incidents of mass murder, mass rape, and mass burial at Dharmasthala.

The advocates apprised the Chief Minister of the grave factual matrix surrounding these widely reported incidents.

In a shocking development, a complaint has been filed with the Dharmasthala Police alleging the secret disposal of multiple bodies in the village of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka.

The complainant, a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple, ridden with remorse, whose identity remains confidential for security reasons, has expressed willingness to cooperate with authorities if provided legal protection for himself and his family.

According to the complaint filed at the Superintendent of Police’s (SP) office, the individual claims to have been involved in the disposal of several bodies under threat. Overwhelmed by guilt, the whistleblower has now come forward, offering to share detailed information about those involved and the specific locations where the bodies were disposed of, conditional upon assurance of safety.

The complaint has been formally registered at the office of the Superintendent of Police and the Dharmasthala Police Station. Following due process and obtaining necessary court permission, a case was registered on July 4, under Section 211(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The matter is currently under investigation, and further action will be determined based on the findings. (ANI)