Dharmasthala case: Activist Prashant Sambaragi complains to SIT against YouTubers

Mangaluru: Activist Prashant S Sambaragi has submitted a complaint to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleging that YouTubers interviewed complainant-witness in the ongoing Dharmasthala mass burial case, despite the witness being protected under the Witness Protection Scheme.

In his complaint, he said the deliberate act of releasing the interviews immediately after complainant-witness was taken into custody by SIT shows a pre-planned strategy and criminal conspiracy. The entire sequence of events establishes that the interviews were not accidental or coincidental but were pre-meditated, coordinated, and executed with the intention of interfering in the investigation and obstructing the justice process,” the complaint said.

“Such videos have already reached several viewers and are creating widespread confusion among the public regarding the investigation and the credibility of the witness,” he said. 

The SIT in its acknowledgement of the complaint stated that the issue will be examined during the course of the investigation. Meanwhile, sources in SIT said the team was  examining several new documents from a fresh perspective. The team has conducted a few additional inquiries and thoroughly reviewed facts and other related matters to gain deeper insights into the case.

As part of the investigation, mahazar was carried out at Ujire and Belthangady.