JD(S) demands NIA probe in Dharmasthala case to expose 'conspiracy'

JD(S) is demanding NIA probe into allegations of rapes and murders in Dharmasthala, citing a conspiracy against the holy site.

The Janata Dal (Secular) on Sunday demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the allegations of multiple rapes, murders and burials in Dharmasthala.

JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy. (PTI)

The party said the move was necessary to uncover those behind the alleged “conspiracy and smear campaign” against the holy place, which it claimed could also involve foreign funding.

Led by its youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) organised a rally, ‘Dharmasthala Sathya Yatre’, in the temple town on Sunday.

“There is no question of doing politics in the Dharmasthala issue. All of us should stand for Dharma, and the truth should prevail. Some anti-social elements have conspired and are behind this episode of spreading misinformation. As devotees of Dharmasthala, we want the truth to come before the people,” Nikhil told reporters before leaving for the rally, news agency PTI reported.

He added that to take the probe to its logical conclusion, the case should be handed over to the NIA. “There is suspicion that some international media houses and YouTube channels have been encouraged by certain sections, in a very organised and systematic way, to create negative content against Dharmasthala. As there may be international funding for this conspiracy, we, on behalf of JD(S) and as devotees of Dharmasthala, demand that NIA should take over the investigation,” he said.

Nikhil also pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar himself had alleged in the Assembly that there was a conspiracy against Dharmasthala. He said his father, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, would soon seek an appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to press for an NIA probe. “Kumaraswamy will also address the media in Delhi to share information he has gathered from reliable sources about the role of certain people, identified in the close circles of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, behind the government’s decision to form an SIT,” Nikhil added.

The controversy erupted after C.N. Chinnaiah, later arrested on charges of perjury, claimed he had buried several bodies, including those of women allegedly sexually assaulted, in Dharmasthala over the past two decades, with allegations pointing towards the administrators of the temple.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government has since conducted excavations along the banks of the Netravathi River at locations identified by Chinnaiah, where skeletal remains were recovered at two sites.

However, Nikhil Kumaraswamy alleged that the SIT’s probe had failed to establish the truth and instead caused “insult” to Dharmasthala. He argued that investigators should first have verified Chinnaiah’s background, intentions, and the source of the skeletal remains he produced, before proceeding with the wider probe.

On reaching Dharmasthala, Nikhil and other JD(S) leaders offered prayers at the Lord Manjunatha temple and met Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade to extend their support. Meanwhile, JD(S) alliance partner BJP has announced a similar rally, ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’, scheduled for September 1.

With agency inputs)