SIT asked to complete investigation soon, says HM

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said the SIT probing allegations of “multiple murders, rapes, and burials” in the temple town of Dharmasthala has been asked to complete the investigation at the earliest and submit its report. He, however, clarified that no specific deadline has been set for the Special Investigation Team, as some of the analyses being done require time. “We have asked for the final report to be submitted soon, but we have not defined how soon. We have told them (SIT) to complete the work quickly. We cannot direct them on the investigation; we have only asked them to finish it soon,” Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question here.

“Things are in progress. Certain analyses have to be done, like DNA and chemical analysis. These require time. So we cannot force them… There are procedures. We have sought the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report soon, taking it on priority,” he said.

A controversy erupted after a complainant, identified as C N Chinnaiah and later arrested on charges of perjury, claimed to have buried several bodies—including those of women showing signs of sexual assault—in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.

The allegations had implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple. The SIT, formed by the state government to probe the charges, conducted search operations at multiple locations identified by the complainant in forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where skeletal remains were found at two sites. Recently, the SIT again recovered some skeletal remains during a search operation in the Banglegudde forest area near the Netravathi bathing ghat.