Karnataka SIT begins site inspections in Dharmasthala mass burial case

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Karnataka government has begun site inspections in Dharmasthala following allegations of mass burials spanning nearly two decades.
The team, accompanied by land records officials and district authorities, visited several locations, including the bathing ghats of the Nethravati River, reports PTI.

A preliminary 'mahazar' (site inspection) was carried out at the riverbank by the SIT and Kadaba Tahsildar Prabhakara Khajureon Monday, following directives from Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Darshan H V. The whistleblower claimed that skeletal remains could lie beneath the ghat area, disturbed during earlier excavations.

Police confirmed that no human remains were found in the initial inspection, but a forensic investigation will follow to verify the claims. The inquiry is led by SIT chief and DGP (Internal Security Division) Pronab Mohanty, alongside DIG M N Anucheth and IPS officers Soumyalatha S K and Jitendra Kumar Dayama.

The team has reviewed local missing persons’ records, earlier reports of unexplained deaths, and consulted with officials from Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Uttara Kannada. Twenty police personnel from these districts have been deployed to support the inquiry.

The inspections were prompted by a revelation by a former sanitation worker, who also serves as the primary witness in the case. He alleged that he was forced to bury numerous bodies between 1995 and 2014, some reportedly bearing signs of sexual violence. The man appeared before the SIT for further questioning on July 27 and guided investigators through key sites mentioned in his statement. His identity remains confidential due to the sensitive nature of the allegations.