Dharmasthala SIT likely to submit incriminating status report before Belthangady court

Bengaluru

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational Dharmasthala mass burial case is expected to soon submit a detailed status report before the Belthangady court, outlining the progress made in the investigation so far. Sources in the Karnataka Home Department told blrpost.com that the report contains “incriminating” material and several chilling details emerging from the ongoing probe.

According to sources, the report has already been submitted to Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) M A Saleem. The SIT has reportedly sought permission to carry out further investigation based on fresh findings, but approval from Saleem is still pending. The reasons for the delay in granting permission remain unclear.

Sources clarified that the status report is around 15 pages long, accompanied by annexures containing supporting material. Contrary to speculation, the report does not run into thousands of pages. However, investigators are also said to have prepared another extensive report comprising several pages, which has reportedly been submitted before the Karnataka State Commission for Women.

The SIT chief Pronab Mohanty is expected to visit Dakshina Kannada either later this week or early next week to review developments in the investigation and oversee the next phase of the probe.

A highly placed source in the Home Department said the SIT has also received forensic reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) regarding skeletal remains, skulls, and bones recovered during search operations in Banglegudde. According to the source, in certain cases the FSL findings have confirmed evidence suggestive of violence. These findings, the source added, have already been brought to the notice of M A Saleem.

The developments have intensified demands from activists and civil society groups for the Karnataka government to make the status report public. Activists who spoke to blrpost.com claimed that several allegations and suspicions raised by them earlier appear to have been corroborated by the SIT’s findings.

The Karnataka government constituted the SIT on July 19, 2025, following a complaint lodged at the Dharmasthala Police Station by a masked man. In his complaint, the man alleged that he had been forced to bury hundreds of bodies in and around Dharmasthala over several years. The allegations triggered widespread public outrage and prompted the state government to order a special probe.

Following the formation of the SIT, investigators conducted exhumation operations at multiple locations. Initially, only two skeletal remains were recovered. The masked complainant later reportedly retracted portions of his earlier claims, stating that some of the burial stories narrated by him were false.

Subsequently, the SIT arrested this masked man identified as C N Chinnayya, who was also allegedly associated with the Dharmasthala Temple Trust.

During the course of the investigation, the SIT found that a skull produced before the court by Chinnayya while recording his statement (first) under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had allegedly been sourced through activist Vittal Gowda. After Gowda reportedly admitted to supplying the skull, the SIT conducted a spot mahazar which led investigators to stumble upon multiple skeletal remains at Bangegudde.

The subsequent large-scale search operations at Bangegudde resulted in the recovery of nine skulls and nearly 1,000 bones, all of which were later sent to the FSL for detailed forensic examination. Investigators are now awaiting comprehensive scientific analysis, which could play a crucial role in determining the nature of the deaths and the possible commission of crimes.