SIT probe transparent, no damage to Dharmasthala image: Minister

DAKSHINA Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said the ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala has not tarnished the image of the temple town.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Mangaluru

"The SIT probe is transparent. It has no connection to the temple. Sanctity of the Manjunatha Swamy temple has not been violated. They have not dug inside the Dharmasthala Kshetra but in deep forest," he told reporters in Mangaluru, in response to allegations that there's an attempt to tarnish the image of the temple.

"The BJP is twisting the facts and purposely damaging the reputation of the Kshetra. How does bringing out truth affect the sanctity of the temple? Devotees will not lose faith in God so easily."