Dharmasthala: SIT wants to know where did panchayat buried bodies, grills many

Belthangady 

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing unnatural death reports (UDRs) and missing cases has been grilling former and incumbent panchayat functionaries. The SIT wants to know where workers buried the bodies on the instructions of the Dharmasthala village panchayat. At the same time, the SIT is continuing its probe into the mass burial case.

Several individuals, including Dharmasthala village panchayat vice-president Srinivas Rao and former president Keshav Gowda, claimed during the exhumation operation that the panchayat had buried bodies from UDR cases. Gowda, in an interview with a YouTube channel, had even claimed that at the 13 spots identified by C.N. Chinnayya bodies were buried on the panchayat’s instructions. Interestingly, the SIT found only one buried body at the 6th spot. The crucial question now is: where are the bodies the panchayat claimed to have buried?

The SIT has been questioning several panchayat members, including Rao and Gowda, to trace the missing bodies. Panchayat burial records reportedly contain multiple discrepancies—none of the documents mention burial locations, which investigators find highly suspicious. Equally puzzling is the absence of Chinnayya’s name in these records, despite panchayat members in media interviews alleging that he was the one who buried the bodies.

Notably, Rao and Gowda, who were earlier vocal in their media interactions, have now slipped into silence after SIT questioning. Can the panchayat now prove that Chinnayya has not buried bodies and he was not a grave digger? The sources in the SIT talking to blrpost.com said neither panchayat nor Chinnaya can now claim that he has not buried bodies because SIT has found evidence to show that he was indeed a grave digger. This trick will not work with the SIT sleuths. 

The SIT maintains that the primary question remains unanswered: where did the panchayat bury the bodies? Several members have already been interrogated, and many more will face questioning, with the possibility of repeated summons until investigators get clear answers. The SIT is determined to get to the bottom of the case, leaving no room for diversion or deviation from the investigation.