In a dramatic turn to the controversy over mass burials, disappearance, and sexual assault charges in Dharmasthala, a woman at the eye of the storm has confessed that she had made false claims.
In an interview with a YouTube channel on Friday, Sujatha Bhat, who had previously claimed her daughter had disappeared in 2003 in Dharmasthala, admitted that she did not have a daughter by the name Ananya Bhat. She said she was duped by activist Girish Mattannavar and T Jayanti to present the fabricated account.
“It is false. There was never a daughter called Ananya. Some of them instructed me to claim that. I was instructed to do that because of the property matter.
“That’s reason enough,” Sujatha stated, noting that even the photo, and only photo submitted as proof of Ananya’s existence was faked.
Sujatha said that she did not have monetary dealings with the activists, but she was motivated by a long-standing dispute over her grandfather’s land which, she alleges, the Dharmasthala temple used her name and uncle’s to take over, and with no consent from her.
What is Dharmasthala mass burial case?
The Dharmasthala mass burial case has become one of the most disturbing issues in the state of Karnataka. Because of sensational allegations made by a former sanitation worker, the case gained the attention and focus of civil society, activists, and the mainstream media. The case rests on sensational charges made by a former sanitation worker, in whose testimony he alleged that from 1998 to 2014 he was compelled to burn or bury the bodies of several women and children under threat of death.
Sujatha’s confession is a dramatic about-turn from her original police report lodged this week, in which she accused her 18-year-old medical student daughter Ananya of disappearing during a temple trip in May 2003.
In the first statement, she said she was kidnapped, raped, and instructed not to speak, before she was left to die in a coma and taken to a private hospital in Bengaluru.
The disclosure has opened a potential new controversy around the Dharmasthala mass burials controversy, which have already caused political and social turmoil in Karnataka, and it is possible that Sujatha’s reversal will now raise questions about the rest of the allegations surrounding the case.
As a matter of record there has been no official comment from authorities about her new statement.
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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.
