Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari of the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple, has firmly denied recent allegations linking the temple and its trust to the 2012 rape and murder of 17-year-old Soujanya, as well as to broader claims of multiple crimes allegedly covered up over the past two decades. He has welcomed the state government's decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to get to the bottom of the issue.
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Heggade described the accusations as deeply distressing and “completely unfounded” in an interview with PTI. He said the portrayal of Dharmasthala in social media has been misleading and unfair. “We welcomed the SIT the same day. It's good that the state has formed it and once and for all the truth should come out. It's not good that allegations are made and they remain that way,” he said.
He expressed concern about what he called a 14-year-long smear campaign aimed at tarnishing the image of Dharmasthala and its charitable institutions. Heggade alleged that some groups, upset with the positive work done by the temple trust, were behind the misinformation.
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{{/usCountry}}The recent appearance of a masked individual in online videos, claiming to have buried bodies in Dharmasthala, was dismissed by Heggade as implausible and sensational. He pointed out that deaths in the area are always recorded by local authorities and carried out with proper procedure. Heggade also criticized the influence of social media, suggesting it is being used to turn young minds against faith.
Addressing persistent rumours involving his family, Heggade clarified that when the Soujanya incident occurred, they immediately informed the authorities and cooperated fully with earlier investigations, including by the CBI. Allegations that family members were involved, he said, are baseless - some of the accused relatives weren’t even in the country at the time, and documents have been submitted to prove it.
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Regarding claims of property misuse, Heggade stressed that all assets belong to the trust, not to individuals. “Our family owns very little personally. Everything is transparently managed by the trust, and there is documentation for all acquisitions,” he added.
He further explained the distribution of responsibilities within the family: one brother oversees educational institutions in Bengaluru, another manages temple affairs and social work, and a third is involved in university administration. The institutions, he said, are all officially registered under the trust’s name.
When asked about a Jain family managing a Hindu temple, Heggade dismissed the controversy, pointing out that several temples in India are maintained by Jains and follow proper rituals.
He also denied that the controversy had become politicized. "Congress leaders have also come here and so do the JDS leaders. Some people want to defame the temple and all parties have come in support of the temple," Heggade said, welcoming Deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s remarks suggesting there could be a conspiracy at play. Heggade also appreciated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s neutral stance that any wrongdoing would be investigated and the guilty punished.
Despite the storm, Heggade maintained that faith in Dharmasthala remains strong and that public turnout has not declined. “We carry out the puja, rituals as usual and there is no change in the crowd or customs,” he stated.
Concluding on a firm note, Heggade said he believes the truth will prevail and the smear campaign will collapse under its own falsehoods.
HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of this information.
(With inputs from PTI)