Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case: Temple town of Dharmasthala in Karnataka, which is renowned for the sanctified Lord Manjunatha temple, is in the midst of shocking charges of mass burials, rape and murder over almost two decades now.
The fresh outrage comes when Sujatha Bhat, mother of Ananya Bhat, a first-year MBBS student who went missing during a college trip to Dharmasthala in 2003, has filed a complaint with Dharmasthala police on July 15. Convinced that her daughter could be among the victims mentioned in a whistleblower’s new testimony.
What is Dharmasthala mass burial case?
A former sanitation worker, who was employed under the Dharmasthala temple administration from 1995 to 2014, has charged that he was forced to bury and incinerate the remains of over 100 women, most of them allegedly raped and murdered.
In a June 3 complaint, the whistleblower provided photographic evidence of bones he uncovered, as well as chilling accounts of what he had seen. “Several of the female corpses were naked or bare of underwear. Some had obvious signs of sexual abuse and violence: wounds or strangulation that suggested murder,” the letter reads.
Who is the ‘secret’ Dharmasthala Whistleblower?
The whistleblower, who is also a Dalit sanitation worker, says he was in terror for almost 20 years, dumping bodies at gunpoint under threats of his seniors. “We will cut you into pieces, your body will be buried like the rest,” he reportedly said he was warned.
In accordance with his complaint, most of the burials occurred on the shores of the sacred Netravathi River, in sites selected for their soft ground so that the bodies would rot soon and be concealed. The victims, according to him, were students, children, and women, some of them being undressed and having visible traces of savage brutality.
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Whistleblower escaped from Dharmasthala in 2014
In December 2014, the employee escaped from Dharmasthala after a girl from his own family was allegedly beaten by somebody associated with his seniors in the temple administration. For nearly a decade, he kept in hiding in anguish. He came back in 2024, exhumed skeletal remains, took their photographs, and sent his proof together with his Aadhaar card and employee identification to the police to establish his credibility.
“If a decent burial is provided to the bodies, then the souls of victims will rest in peace and my feeling of guilt will also decrease,” he wrote.
The whistleblower stepped into a local court in Belthangady under tight police guard 7 days after submitting his complaint. He came wrapped from head to toe in a black garment with only a transparent strip covering his eyes. Following this, outside the court, 100s of activists, locals and missing women’s families assembled. They were waving placards and photos of their missing relatives.
FIR registered after whistleblower’s revelations in Dharmasthala case
FIR was registered after the ‘secret’ whistleblower’s sensational statement. But activists and lawyers have been raising genuine concerns regarding the investigation. They cite that the case is being investigated by a local sub-inspector, that they believe is deeply inadequate in terms of the magnitude and seriousness of these charges. This has made people call for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) so that there is a proper and transparent inquiry.
Latest developments have got memories of Sowjanya rape-murder case that happened in 2012. This is another brutal crime in the same area that led to a nationwide outrage. Sowjanya who was a 17-year-old student, was raped and murdered in a road near Dharmasthala. The case gained prominence for inaction against influential people with connections to the area.
Public indignation is growing, with former Supreme Court judge V. Gopala Gowda complaining that the police are intimidating the whistleblower to identify burial grounds and leaking his comments to individuals. Activists, veteran lawyers, and even the State Women’s Commission are calling for a probe at the highest level.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the government would await an initial police report before taking a call on whether or not to constitute an SIT. “We are not going to yield to pressure… If an SIT is needed, it will be formed,” he said.
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Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
