Dharmasthala 'mass burial' case: SIT submits final 7,000-page report
What's the story
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala mass burial case in Karnataka has submitted its final investigation report to the court. The report, which is almost 7,000 pages long, includes all materials and evidence collected during the year-long probe. Among the documents is a property or asset register recovered during the investigation.
Investigation details
Report submitted a year after SIT was formed
The final report was submitted exactly a year after the Karnataka government constituted the SIT to probe allegations of mass burials, sexual assaults, murders, and cover-ups in Dharmasthala.
Former sanitation worker CN Chinnayya, also known as the "mask man of Dharmasthala," was present during the submission.
Initially a key whistleblower in the case, Chinnayya was arrested on allegations of perjury, with authorities claiming that investigators had found significant inconsistencies in his statements.
A Mangaluru court granted him bail.
Allegations and arrest
Case gained national attention after Chinnayya's allegations
The case gained national attention after Chinnayya alleged he was forced to assist in illegal mass burials from 1995 to 2014.
He claimed many victims were women and female students who appeared to have been sexually assaulted and murdered.
These allegations led to public outrage and calls for an independent investigation.
The Karnataka State Commission for Women intervened, leading to the formation of a 20-member SIT to investigate unexplained deaths, disappearances, and sexual abuse allegations in the region.
Investigation findings
Investigation extended to old cases of unnatural deaths
The SIT excavated 15 sites, recovering skeletal remains and soil samples. From at least two sites, forensic examinations found toxic substances in skeletal remains.
The case later expanded to several old cases of unnatural deaths after the Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognizance.
However, Chinnayya's claims were scrutinized during the investigation, leading to his arrest on perjury charges for inconsistencies in his statements about alleged mass graves.
Legal proceedings
Chinnayya granted bail in perjury case
Chinnayya retracted his allegations and told the trial court that his statements were false and he had made them "as instructed by a group of activists."
He also claimed that he was told the overall plan involved a budget of ₹200 crore and that he would receive ₹50 lakh if he cooperated in efforts to have Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade imprisoned.
Chinnayya approached the Karnataka High Court, alleging he was coerced into making false allegations to defame Dharmasthala and its administration.