The ongoing investigation into the alleged “secret burials” in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala took a fresh turn on Saturday when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested the complainant who had first raised the allegations.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara confirmed the arrest, saying the complainant was presented before a court on Saturday. The identity of the complainant has not been disclosed.
The SIT questioned him for hours and after the probe, officials said his allegations were fabricated. He was then taken into custody. Police informed reporters that the skull he had presented earlier was fake. He has been arrested on charges of perjury and providing false evidence.
This arrest comes just before the opposition BJP’s planned statewide protest. The party has accused the Congress government of defaming the famous Sree Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara temple by ordering the SIT probe.
Allegations sparked the probe
The SIT’s search began in July this year based on allegations made by the complainant, a former sanitation worker who served in Dharmasthala between 1995-2014.
He had alleged that multiple murders, rapes and secret burials took place in the temple town over two decades.
Adding to the twists, a woman who had earlier filed a complaint in 2003 about her missing daughter in Dharmasthala recently retracted her statement. She first claimed the complaint was fabricated, but later alleged she was pressured into denying it by people who promised to help her get justice.
The SIT, which was set up on July 19, exhumed 16 sites and discovered two skeletal remains. Soil samples were also taken to check for traces of human DNA. After weeks of searching, sources within the police suggested that the operation might soon be wrapped up as very little evidence had been found.
Congress under pressure, BJP alleges conspiracy
With mounting calls for the search to be stopped, the Congress-led government faces pressure to end the probe. Meanwhile, the BJP claims that the investigation is part of a larger conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the Dharmasthala temple.