By Ajitha Shree K
Dharmasthala, long regarded as a centre of spiritual heritage, is now under a cloud of shocking allegations that have drawn nationwide attention. The temple town is being accused of harbouring a dark past — a place where rapes, murders, and decades of cover-ups allegedly silenced victims and denied justice to hundreds of families.
The controversy erupted on July 3, when a former sanitation worker lodged a complaint with the Dharmasthala police. In his statement, he claimed that between 1998 and 2014 he had been forced to dispose of numerous bodies linked to criminal activities.
According to Dharmasthala SP Dr. Arun K, the man, overcome with guilt, approached the authorities after handing over human remains recently exhumed from suspected burial sites. He also claimed he could identify those responsible and pinpoint the exact locations of the alleged burials.
The revelations took a dramatic turn on July 11 when the complainant repeated his allegations before a court, requesting that his identity be kept secret to protect his life and the safety of his family. His statement caught the attention of the media, women’s welfare associations, and activists, many of whom began drawing parallels with previous unresolved cases — notably the 2012 rape and murder of 17-year-old Soujanya, and the 2003 disappearance of medical student Ananya Bhatt.
The possibility that these incidents could be connected to the mass burial allegations sparked a fresh wave of protests and demands for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe suspicious deaths and disappearances in the region.
On July 19, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed the formation of an SIT to handle the investigation, stressing that it would operate independently from the district police to ensure impartiality.
The team, led by DGP Pranab Mohanty and comprising senior IPS and CID officers, was tasked with investigating the alleged mass burials from 1998 to 2014.
The SIT began its search on July 29, combing through multiple sites named by the complainant. Initial digs at three locations yielded nothing, but on July 31, at a site near the Netravathi bathing ghat, investigators unearthed partial human skeletal remains buried about four feet underground.
A breakthrough came on August 4, when several human bones were recovered from a forest area. At another location, villagers claimed that the land had been altered recently, possibly to destroy evidence. Searches also extended to roadside areas near Bahubali Betta, with results still awaited. All remains recovered so far have been sent to Manipal for forensic testing.
For Dharmasthala, this is not the first time such anger has boiled over. In the late 1980s, the rape and murder of a woman named Padmalatha sparked widespread protests. Similar outrage returned in 2012 after the brutal killing of Soujanya. In both cases, protestors accused the authorities of trying to stifle dissent and shield powerful interests.
The developments in Dharmasthala have also coincided with a landmark conviction in another high-profile sexual assault case. On August 1, 2025, former JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, a relative of HD Kumaraswamy, was found guilty of raping a 47-year-old woman. The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison, with several other sexual assault charges also proven against him.
His conviction has given renewed hope to those seeking justice in the Dharmasthala case, raising expectations that the truth, if proven, will finally bring long-delayed consequences for the accused.
As the SIT continues to peel back the layers of this disturbing saga, the nation watches closely. If the allegations of mass burials and decades of abuse are confirmed, Dharmasthala — once seen as a sanctuary of faith — may be remembered instead as a chilling example of how power, silence, and impunity can shield the darkest of crimes.