Karnataka State Commission for Women urges CM to form SIT in Dharmasthala case

Hindustan Times

15-07-2025

Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhury on Monday urged chief minister Siddaramaiah to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe allegations of mass graves, disappearances, and crimes against women and students in Dharmasthala over the past two decades. a daily-wage labourer has claimed that he personally buried more than 100 bodies in and around Dharmasthala (File photo)
This comes in the wake of a court deposition by a daily-wage labourer, who under tight security on Friday claimed that he had personally buried more than 100 bodies in and around Dharmasthala. His identity has been withheld due to security concerns.
In a letter, Chowdhury said: 'In connection with the above subject and statement, a person has recorded a statement in court claiming to have buried hundreds of bodies in the Dharmasthala region.'
She noted that the Women's Commission had taken serious note of both the court statement and media reports aired on July 12, which mentioned the discovery of a human skull and included comments from the family of a missing medical student.
'The Commission has taken the media report and the statement of the man who claimed to have buried bodies very seriously,' she wrote.
'These suggest a disturbing pattern of severe abuse, murders, rapes, unnatural deaths, and disappearances involving several women and students over more than 20 years.'
She also flagged reports from families who had faced inaction from law enforcement. 'Many families have alleged that police did not respond properly when they went to file cases about their missing or deceased children,' the letter said.
Given the gravity of the allegations, Chowdhury called for an independent and high-level probe. 'I therefore request the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership of senior police officers to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation into cases of missing women and students, unnatural deaths, murders, and sexual assaults that have occurred in the Dharmasthala region over the last 20 years,' she wrote.
The state government has not yet issued a response to the demand.
The daily-wage labourer had first approached Dharmasthala police with a complaint on July 4. He was represented by advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin S Deshpande. On July 10, he was granted protection under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018. He appeared before the principal civil judge and judicial magistrate in Belthangady around 4.40 pm on Friday, wearing a mask and escorted by his legal team.
Inside the courtroom, he reportedly reaffirmed his claims and gave details about the locations where he said the bodies — mostly of women and young girls — had been buried.
His statement lasted nearly 80 minutes and was recorded in full. He was later taken into police custody for further legal procedures.
His advocates confirmed the witness protection granted to him. 'A communication to this effect was sent to us on the evening of July 10 by the authorities concerned. The complainant conveys his gratitude to the district judiciary, Dakshina Kannada, the police authorities in Dakshina Kannada and the Government of Karnataka for acting expeditiously on the request for witness protection,' the advocates said.