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SIT questions complainant in Dharmasthala mass burial case
The SIT, which officially took over the case files from local police on July 25, has prioritised verifying the complainant’s narrative before moving into more sensitive aspects of the probe
The interrogation of a former sanitation worker, who claimed to have buried hundreds of bodies in Dharmasthala village, continued for the second consecutive day on Sunday, with special investigation team (SIT) chief and director general of police (internal security) Pronab Mohanty personally questioning the whistle-blower, officials familiar with the matter said.
The SIT, which officially took over the case files from local police on July 25, has prioritised verifying the complainant’s narrative before moving into more sensitive aspects of the probe. Officers said there are inconsistencies in the complainant’s statements to the media and those given to police, thus multiple rounds of questioning is needed to establish a clear timeline. “The complainant is at the centre of the case and his questioning will be the first step. Based on that, the next course of action will be decided,” an official in the know of the development said on condition of anonymity.
The officer added, “There are inconsistencies in his version of events. Before proceeding further, we need to establish a coherent timeline and verify the facts.”
The team also held detailed discussions with local authorities, scrutinised records of missing persons, and revisited earlier reports of suspicious deaths in the region, officials said. Investigators also interacted with residents in and around Dharmasthala and inspected specific sites believed to be associated with the allegations, they said.
The complainant, whose identity has been kept confidential, has been granted protection under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018. Local police have also approached the court for permission to conduct brain mapping and narco-analysis tests, though these procedures require the complainant’s consent. “The tests are being considered to assess the veracity of his account. But these will only be done if the complainant agrees and it will not be considered evidence in the court,” an officer said.
The SIT, headed by Mohanty, consists of deputy inspector general of police (recruitment) MN Anucheth and IPS officers Soumyalatha SK and Jitendra Kumar Dayama.
Twenty police personnel — inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables and constables — from Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada have also been deployed to the SIT.
The SIT is currently in the first phase of its investigation, focusing entirely on fact-verification, officials said, adding that the next phase, possibly involving the exhumation of alleged burial sites, will be initiated only after this phase is completed. “Exhumation depends entirely on what emerges from the first phase,” an officer said.
Officials said a dedicated SIT office will soon be established in Dharmasthala to coordinate further action.
The present case originated from an FIR registered on July 4, based on a complaint by a former sanitation worker who alleged that he was forced to bury numerous bodies during his tenure in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014. According to the complaint, many of the deceased were allegedly victims of sexual violence and murder. The man also claimed that his own relative had been assaulted, prompting him to flee the town in fear.
According to officers, further investigation could include the creation of a database of the potential victims and eventually a DNA database. But the process is expected to be tough.
The SIT is also coordinating with local law enforcement to retrieve historical police records, including FIRs and missing persons reports from the period in question. The fact that Dharmasthala didn’t have a police station until 2016, complicates this process. Investigators say this effort will involve combing through 20 years of documents, some of which may be incomplete or missing altogether.
“But before we get to that, it all depends on whether he can point out the locations as he claims. Only then will a database be meaningful. We’ve been told this area was also used to bury unclaimed bodies, so verification is going to be difficult. We’re hoping that details from old missing persons cases and information shared with police helplines, especially in instances where first information reports (FIRs) were not registered, will help us build that database,” the officer added.
According to investigators, while extracting DNA from remains is possible, finding the match would be tough. But the biggest challenge will be establishing rape and murder as only skeletal remains will remain.
(With PTI inputs)
