Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Saturday said the state government will take a call on setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass murders and burials in Dharmasthala, but only after assessing the necessity.
What Karnataka Home Minister told?
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara clarified that a decision on the SIT cannot be made at this early stage, as the investigation is still in its preliminary phase. “We will take a decision based on the needs of the case. How can we go for an SIT when the investigation has just begun? I have spoken to the Chief Minister about this,” he said.
His remarks come days after a delegation of public-interest lawyers met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his residence, seeking an SIT probe into what they described as shocking allegations of mass murder, rape, and secret burials in Dharmasthala. The lawyers urged the CM to set up an SIT under the supervision of an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and a sitting or retired High Court judge.
They also pressed for comprehensive forensic support, including DNA analysis, digital evidence collection, and complete video documentation of the investigation. The delegation argued that the local police were not conducting the probe in line with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), despite an FIR being registered and a key eyewitness giving a confessional statement.
{{/usCountry}}They also pressed for comprehensive forensic support, including DNA analysis, digital evidence collection, and complete video documentation of the investigation. The delegation argued that the local police were not conducting the probe in line with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), despite an FIR being registered and a key eyewitness giving a confessional statement.
{{/usCountry}}In a related legal development, the complainant’s statement was recorded on July 12 by the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC of Belthangady Taluk in Dakshina Kannada under Section 183 of the BNSS (equivalent to Section 164 of the earlier CrPC). However, the complainant's legal counsel expressed dissatisfaction, saying the statement was recorded in their absence despite prior instructions that one of them must be present, as the complainant is illiterate and unfamiliar with legal procedures.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple, has alleged he was forced under threat to dispose of multiple bodies. His identity has been kept confidential for safety reasons. According to his legal team, he approached the police out of guilt and requested protection for himself and his family before fully cooperating with investigators. Authorities have since granted him protection under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.
The incident came to light following a complaint filed at the Dharmasthala Police Station, where the complainant accused certain individuals of secretly disposing of multiple bodies in a village in Dakshina Kannada.