Dharmasthala case: SIT wants to question complainant again

Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala has sought the court’s permission to re-question the complainant-witness.

Sources in the SIT told DH, "The complainant-witness had earlier been produced before the court and his statements were recorded under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During his initial statements, the complainant-witness had claimed that he was involved in burying around 10 dead bodies.

"However, the SIT’s subsequent investigation revealed that the bodies in question had been legally cremated in the presence of police officials and gram panchayat members. These were not victims of murder or sexual assault, as the complainant-witness had initially claimed." 

Given the contradictions in his earlier version, the SIT now intends to re-verify certain parts of his testimony. “The team is not seeking his custody again. We only need permission to visit the Shivamogga prison and question him for a few hours,” the sources said. 

The magistrate, however, is seeking legal opinions and examining the necessity of another round of questioning.