Dharmasthala, Karnataka: In a dramatic turn of events in the highly publicized Dharmasthala case, the former sanitation worker who made sensational claims of mass burials has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The arrest comes after the SIT, which was formed to investigate the allegations, concluded that the claims made by the individual were fabricated and lacked credible evidence.
The complainant, whose identity has been protected, had alleged that he was forced to bury hundreds of bodies, many of which showed signs of violence and sexual assault, in and around the temple town of Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014. These claims led to widespread public outrage and prompted the state government to constitute an SIT.
However, a senior police officer involved in the investigation stated that a detailed probe, including exhumation at multiple sites identified by the complainant, yielded no conclusive evidence to support the claims. Forensic analysis of the limited skeletal remains and soil samples that were recovered also failed to corroborate the allegations of mass burials.
The investigation team has now registered a case against the former worker under sections of the law related to spreading false information and creating public mischief. The police believe that the individual’s claims were baseless and were made with the intention of creating unrest.
The development marks a significant setback for the activists and groups who had rallied behind the whistleblower, demanding a thorough investigation into the long-standing controversies surrounding the Dharmasthala temple. The SIT’s findings have put the focus on those who amplified the claims, with authorities warning of legal action against anyone found to be spreading misinformation.
Ananya Bhat Case Details
Adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding saga, the “Ananya Bhat case,” which had recently resurfaced and was cited as a major instance of a mysterious disappearance in Dharmasthala, has also been exposed as a hoax.
Ananya Bhat’s mother, Sujatha Bhat, had recently filed a complaint with the police, claiming her daughter, an MBBS student, went missing from the temple town in 2003. This case was widely highlighted by activists and media outlets as a real-life example supporting the sanitation worker’s claims of mass burials.
However, a detailed investigation by the SIT revealed that the entire story was a fabrication. Authorities found that:
- There are no records of any student named Ananya Bhat enrolled in Kasturba Medical College (KMC) in 2003.
- Sujatha Bhat herself has now admitted in an interview to a YouTube channel that she had lied about having a daughter named Ananya.
- She stated that the story was fabricated at the instigation of activists, including two men of Malayalam origin, Jayant T and Girish Mattannavar, due to a personal dispute over ancestral property.
- Sujatha Bhat has also confessed that the photograph she had shared with the media, claiming it was of her daughter, was actually of a woman named Vasanthi who had passed away in 2007.
The police have also stated that Sujatha Bhat was on a list of “urban naxals” prepared by the Anti-Naxal Force and that the entire episode appears to be part of a larger conspiracy to discredit the Dharmasthala temple and its institutions. This development further strengthens the SIT’s findings that the sensational claims related to mass burials were part of a coordinated effort to create public unrest and malign the temple’s reputation.
