Exhumation to resume? Bangle Gudde cordoned off, placed under guard

Bengaluru 

After the Special Investigation Team (SIT) discovered skeletal remains in Bangle Gudde, the entire area was cordoned off and placed under guard. This indicates that the SIT will soon decide on resuming the exhumation operation.

What substantiates this is the visit of SIT Chief Pronab Mohanty to Belthangady. He is scheduled to hold a meeting with officials to gather more information and take a final call on resuming exhumation. During two mahajars, the SIT found skeletal remains belonging to at least seven individuals. The team also recovered materials suspected to have been used for black magic.

Meanwhile, the SIT is investigating panchayat records related to burials and unidentified death reports. Officials closely monitoring media reports are questioning why some panchayat functionaries are now claiming they buried bodies in the Bangle Gudde area. Initially, when the SIT conducted exhumations at locations indicated by accused Chinnayya, panchayat members and a doctor had claimed that bodies were buried there. Now, the claimed burial sites have changed. “This is not just laughable but also highly suspicious,” said a Home Ministry source.

It should be noted that after blrpost.com first reported skeletal remains in Bangle Gudde, victim Sowjanya’s uncle, Vittal Gowda, also spoke about it. Congress Minister Priyank Kharge further amplified the matter by posting on his official social media account.

It may be recalled that Chinnayya, arrested on August 23, remains in judicial custody. He faces charges of perjury and forgery of evidence related to the skull he submitted before a magistrate. The SIT was constituted on July 19 after Chinnayya lodged a complaint at Dharmasthala police station, alleging he had been forced to bury bodies illegally. He later gave a statement before a magistrate. Following this, the SIT carried out exhumations for two weeks, recovering skeletal remains of two individuals. The SIT also questioned Girish Mattannavar, Vittal Gowda, Jayanth T, and Abhishek, while witness Pradeed Gowda’s statement was recorded under Section 183 of the BNSS.