Advocate wants Kumar removed from SIT in Dharmasthala case
A major investigation into alleged mass burials of women and minors in Dharmasthala is underway.
Advocate Pandu Pujari wants IPS officer Jitendra Kumar Dayam removed from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), claiming Kumar previously framed a tribal man, Suresh, for murder after skeletal remains were found in Mysuru in 2020.
Suresh was acquitted in April 2025 when it turned out his wife—thought to be the victim—was actually alive.
Court ordered compensation for Suresh after his acquittal
After Suresh's acquittal, the court ordered ₹5 lakh compensation for him and disciplinary action against Kumar and three other officers for filing false charges.
The government suspended the other officers, but Kumar is still on the SIT, which has raised eyebrows as they begin forensic searches and exhumations related to decades-old burial claims.
Pujari is urging officials to act quickly and remove Kumar from the team while investigations continue.