Dharmasthala Crimes: SIT begins preparations to exhume bodies 

Bengaluru

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala mass burial case has begun preparations to exhume mass graves allegedly buried by the witness-complainant. Blrpost.com had reported on Sunday that the team was likely to begin the operation on Monday.

According to sources in the SIT, the Assistant Director of Land Records, range forest officials, revenue officials, and panchas (five persons required for the panchanama) are present at the site in Dharmasthala, along with the investigation team. The complainant has been asked to identify the exact burial locations. Once the spots are marked, the digging will begin.

A highly placed SIT source described the exhumation—termed “monumental in the history of India”—as likely to commence by Monday evening or early Tuesday, depending on how quickly the complainant identifies the sites. The SIT is preparing to exhume more than 20 bodies, though the complainant reportedly knows of several dozen burial spots. The SIT strongly believes the witness-complainant’s claims are credible. He was interrogated for several hours over two days to verify the authenticity of his statements.

The operation gained momentum in Dakshina Kannada after SIT Chief and Director General of Police (DGP) Pronab Mohanty visited and met the complainant on Sunday.

It may be recalled that the complainant filed a report at the Dharmasthala police station on July 3, alleging that he was coerced into burying bodies. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on July 4. His legal counsel demanded the formation of an SIT led by Mohanty, and the government constituted the team on July 19. The 20-member team is now working tirelessly to uncover the truth.

The complainant, who joined the Dharmasthala Temple Institution as a sanitation worker in 1995 and worked in various service departments until 2014, has exposed a disturbing pattern of mass burials—often involving women, children, and vulnerable men. According to him, many of the deceased were not merely unclaimed or unknown, but victims of heinous crimes, concealed under the institution’s sacred image.