‘Not officially informed’: Home Minister on Soumyalatha withdrawing from SIT on mass burial

BENGALURU: Home Minister G Parameshwara, reacting to IPS officer Soumyalatha withdrawing from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the Dharmasthala mass burial case, on Thursday said that he has not been officially informed about it, but the information had reached him unofficially.

Parameshwara said, “I have not been officially informed about it. However, unofficially, I have come to know that she has written a letter about withdrawing from the team. She has cited personal reasons for stepping away and has unofficially informed about her decision. She will be replaced”.

On Sunday, a complaint was 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 in Dharmasthala, ridden with remorse, whose identity remains confidential for security reasons, has expressed willingness to cooperate with authorities in exchange of 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, on the condition of 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).

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

Earlier, Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that the Special Investigation Team will probe the Dharmasthala mass burial case, as there is a “public hue and cry” over the matter. The Karnataka government later issued an order to constitute an 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). In its letter, the KSWC cited a media report that consisted of a statement from a person who had claimed that bodies were buried in the past 20 years in the region.

The government order stated that it was deemed appropriate to form a Special Investigation Team to investigate cases registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS) at the Dharmasthala police station. The matter is currently under investigation, and further action will be taken. (ANI)