The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala ‘mass burial’ case in Karnataka has arrested the masked complainant who had made shocking allegations that he was forced to bury and cremate hundreds of unidentified bodies including some of those who bore the marks of sexual assault.
The SIT team led by Pranab Mohanty questioned the complainant, a former sanitation worker, till late Friday night after which he was formally arrested.
The complainant had alleged that he was forced to bury several bodies of girls and minors between 1995 and 2014 at the Dharmasthala temple. In his complaint, he also claimed that some of the bodies had signs of rape.
The arrest came after a woman from Mandya claimed to be the first wife of the masked complainant and accused him of making false allegations for money.
“He always lied and used to assault and cheat me. We lived in Dharmasthala for seven years, where he worked cleaning and washing bathrooms. My mother raised our children because he never took responsibility. He never mentioned anything about burying hundreds of bodies,” she told reporters on Friday.
The woman further added, “I recognized him immediately when I saw him on television, just by his physical appearance. He is tarnishing the image of the temple, and nothing good will come of it.”
The mass burial case had rocked Karnataka with the Opposition BJP accusing the Siddaramaiah government of deliberately allowing the propaganda against the temple. The saffron party had also questioned the need for the SIT investigation.
However, the Congress government had stated that the BJP didn’t oppose when the SIT was formed.
After the complainant’s arrest, Karnataka Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said that the Siddaramaiah government took action against the misinformation under the BJP pressure.
“As a result of raising our voices in the assembly against the SIT investigation in Dharmasthala and the misinformation campaigns, the government has bowed down, taken action against the misinformation, and assured that the investigation will be conducted in a transparent manner,” he said.