Temple Town Dharmasthal of Karnataka is shocked by rumors these days. A social activist has alleged that women were collectively buried here for 15 years, sexual violence took place with many women and attempts were made to cover it. This sequence continued for one and a half decades.
The case came to light when a former sweeper claimed that between 1998 and 2014, he was forced to bury and cremate the bodies of women and minors, many of which were allegedly attacked.
FIRs were lodged after this person’s complaint, witnesses were provided security and the remains of skeletons were produced in the court.
During this, people’s anger boiled. The government had to constitute SIT to investigate the entire case after other allegations, including public outrage, legal intervention and complaint of the disappearance of a woman in 2003.
The major events in this case are in a series of events.
22 June
Lawyers Ojasvi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande met a former sweeper. The employee claimed that he could identify graves in the shrine and the man expressed his desire to help expose the alleged crimes.
27 June
A delegation of lawyers in Bangalore requested the South Kannada Superintendent of Police to formally investigate the claims of the mass grave.
3 July
The former cleaning worker gave a written complaint to the Superintendent of Police. He also included photographic evidence and alleged that he was forced to bury the bodies of women and minors over a period of 16 years.
4 July
On the basis of the complaint, the Dharmasthal police lodged an FIR under Section 211 (A) of the Indian Civil Protection Code (BNSS).
10 July
The person who disclosed the case was provided security under the witness protection scheme.
11 July (morning)
The complainant appeared in Belthangdi court and presented the remains of the skeleton, which he claimed that he had taken it out of a cemetery,
11 July (evening)
The complainant’s lawyer Pawan Deshpande issued a formal statement to the media. He emphasized the severity of the allegations, confirmed the authenticity of the remains and emphasized the need for an independent investigation.
13 July
The police registered a case on a YouTuber Sameer MD for spreading wrong information about the case through a video allegedly produced by AI.
14 July
State Women’s Commission Chairman Nagalakshmi Chaudhary wrote a letter to the Chief Minister urging the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the suspected deaths.
15 July
A woman from Bengaluru lodged a complaint that her MBBS student daughter went missing after going to Dharmasthal in 2003. The activists reiterated their demand for judicial surveillance and SIT intervention.
16 July
A group of lawyers filed a petition alleging that the confidential statements of the whistleblower were leaked to a YouTuber, which raised concerns about the safety of the witnesses and the fairness of the investigation.
17 July
Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister in -charge of South Kannada, assured the public that the investigation will be done in a transparent manner and no person will be saved.
18 July
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah publicly addressed the matter and said that the government is not under any pressure and appropriate action will be taken on the basis of facts. He assured that the investigation would proceed without any prejudice or intervention.
19 July
The Karnataka government formed an SIT under the chairmanship of Director General of Police (Internal Security) Pranab Mohanty. Senior IPS officer M.N. Anucheth, gentleness and J.K. Dayama was included in this party. These officers were entrusted with the responsibility of investigating all unnatural deaths, missing and sexual harassment cases related to the shrine.
20 July
The Sri Kshetra Dharmasthal issued a statement to welcome the formation of the SIT and supported a fair and high-level investigation to confirm the facts.
21 July
The SIT has formally started its investigation. The State Women’s Commission and Civil Society Organizations have welcomed the move. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthal has reiterated its demand for fair, transparent and fair investigation.
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