The Siddaramaiah government constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Dharmasthala mass burial case has triggered a war of words between BJP and the Congress in Karnataka.
The saffron party—while welcoming the SIT probe into the alleged crimes—also stated that it could be a “ploy” to tarnish the image of the pilgrim town of Dharmasthala and “hurt” the sentiments of the Hindu community.
A former sanitation worker in Dharmasthala village—who confessed to burying over a hundred bodies of the victims of “heinous crimes” committed in the temple town before the police—later recorded his statement before a local court on July 4.
In his statement recorded before the Belthangady court under Section 183 of the BNSS (Section 164 of CrPC), he claimed that he had buried over a hundred bodies under duress.
In his complaint lodged with the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police and the Dharmasthala police station on July 3, the sanitation worker had claimed that he was threatened and forced to bury the bodies of girls and woman who had been raped and murdered by the Dharmasthala temple administration, between 1995 and 2014.
The worker had fled Dharmasthala in 2014, and was hiding in a different state along with his family. The complainant also said that he had decided to disclose all the information about the heinous crimes after he developed a “guilty conscience".
He recorded his statement before the Belthangady principal civil judge and JMFC Sandesh K., and also produced skeletal remains that he claimed to have secretly exhumed as evidence. The Belthangady police have taken possession of these remains. The complainant’s counsels have sought protection for their client under the Witness Protection Scheme 2018.
Meanwhile, the state government on July 19—following mounting pressure from lawyers and activists—issued an order constituting the SIT headed by DGP (Internal Security Division) Pronab Mohanty. He is assisted by DIG (Recruitment) M.N. Anucheth, as well as IPS officers DCP Soumyalatha SK and SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama.
Karnataka State Commission for Women chief Nagalakshmi Choudhary, in her July 14 letter to the chief minister, had sought a thorough probe in light of the complainant’s statement in the court.
For the first time after the FIR was filed in the case, the temple administration responded to the allegations.
K. Parshwanath Jain, spokesperson of the temple administration in Dharmasthala, said in a press statement:
“A case was recently registered at the Dharmasthala police station claiming that several dead bodies were buried, which has sparked widespread debate, speculations, and confusion at the national level in recent days. In light of our expectations, as well as that of the general public, for a fair and transparent investigation, it is understood that the state government has transferred the case to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Truth and belief are the strongest foundation for a society’s ethics and faith. Therefore, it is our sincere hope and earnest demand that the SIT conducts the highest level of investigation in this case and brings out true facts to light."
BJP MLA Dr C.N. Ashwanthanarayan slammed the Congress government and said that the probe was "politically motivated".
"It is only a diversionary tactic of the ruling Congress mired in corruption and controversies,” he added.
LOP R. Ashok said: “I welcome the probe. But the process should not denigrate Hindus or the temple on the pretext of investigation. We urge the government to have the SIT work full time to bring out the truth. Let there be an impartial probe and let the SIT focus on the individuals who might have committed the crime. But the entire process seems like an assault on the pilgrim centre and hurts the religious sentiment of Hindus.”
The widespread media coverage of the FIR saw one Sujatha Bhat file a complaint on July 15 about her daughter Ananya Bhat, a medical student who went missing from Dharmasthala in 2003.
Sujatha’s complaint has directly named Harshendra Kumar and his elder brother, Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, alleging their personal involvement in verbal abuse, refusing to register her daughter’s missing complaint, and orchestrating a physical assault.
Meanwhile, ‘Third Eye’ (a Youtube channel) has filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the ex-parte temporary injunction issued by a civil court in Bengaluru (on July 18, 2025) in a civil suit filed by Sri Harshendra Kumar D., the chief of the Dharmasthala temple administration, which it claimed sought to gag media entities and force the deletion of content related to the ongoing Dharmasthala mass burials case (Crime No. 39/2025).
The injunction demands the deletion of 8,842 distinct URLs, spanning content across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and news portals. Third Eye has asserted that the impugned order constitutes an unprecedented assault on media freedom, a brazen abuse of judicial process, and a direct obstruction of a high-level state criminal investigation.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the CM and home minister had picked competent officers for the probe, and that the truth would be out soon.
