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Dharmasthala, Karnataka—A man who claimed to have buried the bodies of hundreds of women allegedly raped and murdered in the vicinity of the centuries-old Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple in this sacred town has been detained by police. His explosive allegations have triggered a political storm and led the Karnataka state government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to verify his claims.
The individual, a middle-aged former cleaner at the temple, had made a police complaint in early July. His identity has been kept secret, and he has been seen in public wearing all-black attire, including a hood and a mask. In his complaint, which the BBC has seen, the man stated that he worked at the temple from 1995 to 2014. He alleged that he was forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of women and young girls who had been brutally raped and killed. He provided details for five specific incidents but claimed there were many more. The man, who said he had been in hiding since 2014, came forward to clear his conscience. He held the temple administration and staff responsible for the alleged crimes.
The temple's chief administrator, Veerendra Heggade, who is also a Member of Parliament, has strongly denied the accusations, calling them "false and baseless."
The case gained significant attention after the man, during a court appearance before a magistrate, produced a human skull from a bag, claiming it was from a body he had buried and recently recovered. This allegations were widely covered by the media from the state's WC. Then the government of the state formed SIT and launched an investigation. Over the past few weeks, the SIT has conducted excavations in Dharmasthala and the surrounding areas based on the man's initial identification of 13 burial sites. Some of these locations were described as being in dense, inaccessible areas.
SIT sources have confirmed to the BBC that human remains, including a skull and around 100 bone fragments, were found at two of the identified locations. The remains have been sent for forensic analysis to determine their identity.
In a statement, Veerendra Heggade welcomed the SIT's investigation, expressing full support and confidence in the judicial and investigative process. In a subsequent interview with PTI, he called the former cleaner's claims "impossible" and emphasized that "the truth should come out for all time."
The incident has also become a major political issue. Members of the opposition BJP have condemned the allegations as a "malicious campaign" against a sacred Hindu religious site. Meanwhile, the state's ruling Congress party's Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, stated that the government has no intention of protecting or defaming anyone, but that "the truth should not remain hidden." He added that if nothing is found, the temple's sanctity will be strengthened, but if something emerges, justice will be served.