Breaking: Karnataka orders SIT probe into Dharmasthala mass grave allegations, missing women cases

In a move that signals grave concern over long-standing allegations in Dharmasthala, the Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate disturbing claims involving mass graves, disappearances, and gender-based crimes spanning nearly two decades.

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The government's decision follows recommendations from the State Commission for Women, which highlighted numerous unresolved cases involving missing women, female students, suspicious deaths, and sexual assaults allegedly linked to the Dharmasthala region in Dakshina Kannada. A letter sent to the Chief Minister on July 14 specifically requested the formation of a high-level investigative body led by senior officers.

The tipping point came after a July 12 media report that cited a startling testimony from a daily-wage labourer. He reportedly confessed in court to personally burying over 100 bodies in and around Dharmasthala. One family also came forward in the report, recounting the disappearance of their daughter years ago.

Acting swiftly, the state police had already begun preliminary action, including planning to exhume sites near the Nethravathi River where the alleged burials took place. Due to security reasons, the identity of the whistleblower has been kept confidential.

The SIT will be led by DGP Pranav Mohanty (Internal Security Division) and will include DIG M.N. Anucheth (Recruitment), DCP Soumyalatha (City Armed Reserve), and SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama (Internal Security Division). The team will be based out of the Dakshina Kannada District Police Office, with full administrative support.

All current and future cases that could be linked to these claims, regardless of where they are filed in Karnataka, will now be transferred to the SIT for unified investigation. The team has been instructed to maintain regular communication with the Director General and Inspector General of Police and submit findings without delay.