A complaint was submitted to the police station at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka alleging secret burial of bodies in the area.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Close on the heels of Karnataka State Commission for Women Chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary seeking a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged secret burial of bodies at Dharmasthala over a decade ago, the advocates representing the complainant in the case have also favoured an SIT probe.
On July 15, advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande stated: “…We believe an SIT is indeed the most appropriate and necessary mechanism to unearth the truth and deliver justice in this profoundly disturbing case…”
“…In the face of grave allegations emerging from Dharmasthala, the formation of a truly independent and highly competent SIT is not merely desirable, but necessary to secure justice for the victims. The unique and deeply disturbing facts and circumstances of this case demand an investigative approach that inspires public confidence…”
The duo stated that the broader advocate community has collectively urged them to press for formation of an SIT ‘under stringent and principled conditions’.
Letter to CM
On July 14, Karnataka State Commission for Women Chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that the scope of the investigation by SIT should cover probing cases of missing women and girl students, unnatural deaths, murders and rapes reported in the village in the past two decades.
The letter stated that there are allegations that when family members of victims of crimes went to the police station, police did not respond properly. Hence, an SIT led by senior police officials should be constituted to probe the allegation of the complainant.
On July 12, Dakshina Kannada police went on record that they will have to ascertain with the complainant whether there was a need to change the Investigation Officer (IO), or if there was a need to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe his complaint. Police will also have to ascertain with the advocates representing the complainant whether they were aware of the demand, a police statement stated.
Background of the case
On July 3, a person filed a complaint with Dharmasthala police claiming that he was forced to bury bodies of many persons, including women and men, who were allegedly murdered and raped in Dharmasthala. He claimed that he buried the bodies during his tenure as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala between 1995 and December 2014.
After taking permission from a court, Dharmasthala police registered a case on July 4 for an offence under Section 211 (a) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On July 11, the complainant produced some of the skeletal remains of a body, that he claimed to have exhumed on his own, before the Principal Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class, Belthangady court, and gave a statement regarding the same.
Published – July 15, 2025 04:36 pm IST
