Dharmasthala Mass Burials Lead to SIT Probe

Shocking mass grave claims trigger SIT probe in Karnataka's temple town Dharmasthala.

- BELLIE THOMAS

The story unfolding around a revered temple town in Karnataka—Dharmasthala—has taken a dark and deeply disturbing turn recently after a whistleblower, a former sanitation worker earlier employed with the temple administration, claimed that he was coerced and forced to bury and burn hundreds of bodies without reporting to the police—bodies including those of women and minor girls, many showing signs of sexual assault and violence.

The whistleblower, a Dalit man, stated in his submission before a court that he had been forced to bury and burn human bodies between 1995 and 2014 under threats from powerful individuals—some allegedly linked to the temple administration.