Recent revelations from media reports have brought the Dharmasthala mass burial case back into the spotlight, sparking renewed public outrage in Belthangady, Karnataka. According to Right to Information (RTI), the Belthangady police systematically deleted all entries from the Unnatural Death Register (UDR) from 2000 to 2015. This period coincides with multiple allegations of suspicious and unreported deaths.
In light of this, RTI activist Jayanth has filed a formal complaint with the Special Investigation Team (SIT), claiming to have been a firsthand witness to the illegal burial of a young girl's body. Jayanth alleges that during the burial, legal protocols were flagrantly violated and that several officials were present. The SIT is reportedly expected to register a First Information Report (FIR) and initiate exhumation proceedings in the near future.
Jayanth, who has a history of using RTI to scrutinise police conduct, previously requested missing persons data and photographs from the Belthangady Police Station. The police's response was that all such documents, including postmortem reports, wall posters, notices, and photographs used to identify unidentified bodies, had been destroyed under 'routine administrative orders.'
In his complaint to the SIT on August 2, Jayanth stated, "This complaint is based on an incident I personally witnessed. I named everyone who was present at that time, including officers. When the girl’s body was found, all legal procedures were violated. They buried the body like one would bury a dog. That sight has haunted me for years." He added that he had warned two years prior that he would reveal the truth if honest officers ever took over the investigation, and now that opportunity has arrived. "No one is behind me or influencing me to do this," he affirmed.
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Jayanth also questioned the police's explanation for the record destruction. "In today’s digital age, how can such data be destroyed without digitising it first?" he asked. He further expressed concern about the future, stating, "If skeletal remains are found, how will the government match them to anyone when they’ve destroyed the relevant documents? Who are the people behind this? Who is influencing and covering this up? When there are computerised backups, how can they claim to have destroyed everything without backing it up? All of this must be investigated thoroughly."
The Belthangady Police, located in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, have faced sharp criticism for admitting to the destruction of these key records. The timeframe of the deleted records, from 2000 to 2015, almost entirely overlaps with the period during which a whistleblower has alleged that mass burials took place in Dharmasthala, a temple town within the same taluk.
The whistleblower's claims, which he stated took place between 1998 and 2014, include allegations that he was forced to bury and cremate the bodies of women and minors, many of whom he believes showed signs of sexual assault.
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