‘We Respectfully Request The SIT To Involve Us….’: Dharmasthala Villagers To SIT

There has been an important development in the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case. A group of villagers from Dharmasthala has submitted a letter to SIT chief Pranab Mohanty. This letter has been signed by Tukaram Gowda, a resident of Dharmasthala, on the behalf of the villagers. The contents of the letter read, ““The complainant had chosen isolated and rarely visited areas to bury the bodies,” the letter read, adding, “We respectfully request the SIT to involve us in the operation to exhume the remains from the places he had earlier mentioned. We also seek permission to independently show these locations to the authorities”, as reported in The New Indian Express. 

What is the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case?

The alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case has been the talk of the town in the news circles for a long time now. As per the allegations made by a former sanitation worker, he was forced to cremate the bodies of several women and minors between 1998 and 2014. As per the claims levied by the former sanitation worker, there were signs of sexual assault on many of these bodies. According to an India Today report, the sanitation worker also filed a complaint on July 3 and had requested anonymity citing threats to his life. The man also said that he has witnessed some of the killings and was forced to bury or burn the bodies under the death threat.

This IPS officer resigned from the SIT formed to probe the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case

An IPS officer Soumyalatha’s resignation also made it to the news apart from the revelations made by the sanitation worker in the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case. This officer was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the alleged mass burials and sexual assaults in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala. She had resigned from the team.

Also read: Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case: Whistleblower Arrested By The SIT For Perjury