SIT Formed to Investigate Explosive Dharmasthala Mass Burial Allegations

 The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe shocking allegations made by a former sanitation worker, who claimed he buried hundreds of bodies in Dharmasthala between 1998 and 2014, many of them reportedly rape and murder victims. The revelations have triggered widespread outrage and renewed calls for justice in the long-dormant Sowjanya rape and murder case.

The whistleblower, who has been placed under police protection, alleged that women, girls, and destitute individuals were routinely raped and killed, with their bodies secretly buried near the Netravathi River and surrounding forested areas. He claimed powerful figures, including local authorities and police personnel, were involved in the cover-up. The SIT, led by IPS officer Pranab Mohanty, has been tasked with verifying these explosive claims and examining the alleged sites of burial.

Key questions remain unanswered. Among them: how such large-scale criminal acts remained undetected for over a decade in a religious town visited by thousands daily, why these allegations never surfaced during the 2012 Sowjanya case despite massive public protests, and who may have played a role in suppressing earlier investigations. The credibility of the whistleblower is also under scrutiny, though his detailed accounts and physical evidence have prompted serious legal attention.

Activists and legal experts have demanded a court-monitored probe to ensure transparency, warning that past investigations lacked thoroughness and independence. With the SIT preparing to exhume burial sites and gather forensic evidence, the case could potentially uncover one of the most disturbing episodes of systemic abuse and institutional failure in Karnataka’s recent history.