Dharmasthala Crimes: IPS officer Sowmyalatha has not yet withdrawn from SIT

No letter has been written to Director General Police and SIT Chief Pronab Mohanty in this connection

Bengaluru

Contrary to media reports, IPS officer Sowmyalatha S. K. has not formally written to Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Pronab Mohanty seeking withdrawal from the probe into the high-profile Dharmasthala mass burial case. A highly placed source confirmed to blrpost.com that no SIT officer, including Sowmyalatha, has submitted a written request to exit the team.

Multiple outlets, including Deccan Herald, had reported that Sowmyalatha and another officer had officially withdrawn. However, SIT head Mohanty has not received any such communication to date.

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Sources within the SIT clarified that Sowmyalatha has expressed internal concerns due to her husband’s alleged relations with individuals in the Dharmasthala Temple Administration. However, the source emphasised that familial ties would not affect the investigation. In fact, they believe it could potentially benefit the probe. “This is a highly sensitive case and will be handled clinically without external influence,” the source added.

This is not the first instance of misleading reports regarding SIT members. Recently, several media houses, including Public TV, reported that IPS officer M. N. Anucheth was stepping down. That claim also turned out to be false; Anucheth is scheduled to visit Dharmasthala on Friday as part of the investigation.

The Karnataka government constituted the SIT on July 20, following a petition by the Karnataka State Commission for Women. The probe aims to investigate cases of unnatural deaths, missing persons, and sexual assault involving women and female students in Dharmasthala over the last 20 years. The decision was triggered by recent media exposés and the emergence of a key witness.

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