Karnataka Sets Up SIT to Probe Dharmasthala Mass Grave Allegations

The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate grave allegations of mass burials, disappearances, unnatural deaths and sexual assaults in Dharmasthala, a temple town in Dakshina Kannada district, stretching back over two decades. The decision comes after the State Women’s Commission highlighted troubling reports of violence and silence surrounding the cases.

The official order, dated 19 July 2025, directed the SIT, based in the Dakshina Kannada district police office, to take charge of all criminal cases filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Dharmasthala Police Station, as well as any related cases across the state. It stipulates that the team must report regularly to the Director General and Inspector General of Police and submit its findings to the government “expeditiously”.

The SIT is led by Director General of Police (Internal Security Division) Pranav Mohanty, alongside Additional Commissioner of Police (Recruitment) M N Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police Soumyalatha and Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Dayama. Their mandate includes probing the allegation made by a former sanitation worker, who testified in Belthangady court that he had been compelled to bury or burn the bodies of more than a hundred women and children between 1995 and 2014, including some bearing signs of sexual violence.

The Karnataka State Women’s Commission, led by Chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary, urged the chief minister to initiate this action after media reports detailed the discovery of a human skull and growing concerns about missing female students. Choudhary wrote: “These revelations point towards possible systematic abuse, murder, rape and unexplained deaths involving women and students,” calling for a “thorough and unbiased investigation”.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao emphasised that no one would be shielded: “If there is evidence on the ground, and if proof emerges, then action will be taken as per law … the state government is not protecting anybody in the Dharmasthala burial case”. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the decision was taken “only after receiving the police report”, prioritising legal process over public pressure.

In a rare public comment, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, the temple trust itself welcomed the SIT formation. K Parshwanath Jain, the spokesperson, stated: “It is our sincere hope and earnest demand that the SIT conducts the highest level of investigation and brings the true facts to light … truth and belief form the cornerstone of social trust”.

In parallel developments, retired Supreme Court Justice V Gopala Gowda and other legal experts have pointed to significant police inertia, particularly in failing to exhume suspected graves and leaking witness identities. Advocate S Balan estimated that there may be as many as 367 victims, mostly young women, based on unresolved missing person and murder cases.

The SIT’s mandate includes exhumation, forensic examination, interviews with whistleblowers and complainants and a comprehensive review of all linked cases. They are expected to submit regular progress reports as instructed by the government.

As the investigation begins, the nation awaits clarity on this deeply disturbing episode. The probe holds the promise of revealing long buried truths and addressing decades of alleged injustice in Dharmasthala.