Dharmasthala mass burials: Karnataka sets up SIT to probe allegations

Bengaluru: In a significant development, Karnataka has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala, Dakshina Kannada.

In its order dated July 19, the government appointed Pronab Mohanty, Director General of Police (Internal Security Division), to lead the SIT.

Mohanty will be assisted by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Recruitment) M N Anucheth and IPS officers Soumyalatha S K and Jitendra Kumar Dayama.

The government’s decision followed a petition by the Karnataka State Commission for Women, which sought an SIT to probe the allegations.

The allegations came to the fore in July when an unidentified person appeared before the police and lodged a complaint that he was forced to bury bodies, including those of women and minors, in Dharmasthala, a pilgrimage town.

Subsequently, another woman lodged a complaint, claiming that her daughter had gone missing over two decades ago.