Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 17: As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) intensifies its probe into alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala, shocking details have emerged through a Right to Information (RTI) request. According to official records, 279 bodies, including those of infants, were buried in and around Dharmasthala between 1987 and 2025—most of them reportedly unclaimed and suicide victims.
The revelation comes even as SIT teams continue exhumation efforts based on an anonymous complaint, which triggered the investigation into what’s now being dubbed the Dharmasthala mass burial case.
The RTI response, obtained from the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Dharmasthala gram panchayat, revealed that of the 279 unclaimed bodies buried, 219 were male, 46 were female, and 14 bodies, including those of infants, were of undetermined gender.
As per a report published in Deccan Herald, the majority of these bodies were classified as anatha (unclaimed), and many were linked to suspected suicides.
Burials were recorded across various periods, with 17 bodies interred during 2003–2004, 2006–2007, and 2014–2015. In the past decade alone, 101 such burials have taken place. A doctor who served for over six months at the Dharmasthala Primary Health Centre reportedly informed investigators that many of the deceased were discovered deep inside forested areas, often in a state of advanced decomposition, which necessitated immediate burial due to unbearable odour.
The SIT has been conducting excavations at suspected burial sites over the past several days, although no digging took place on Saturday, August 16. The anonymous complainant, who initially filed the plea, is currently under intense interrogation at the SIT office in Beltangady.
Investigators are also reviewing a notebook or ledger that the complainant claims to have submitted to the court, which allegedly contains records related to the burials. However, SIT sources indicate that the complainant has been giving contradictory statements, complicating the investigation and raising questions about the credibility of his claims. If substantial evidence emerges, a spot inspection (mahazar) may be conducted later.
Meanwhile, the case has taken a political turn, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' protest. BJP leaders have accused the authorities of deliberately delaying the investigation under the guise of procedure and have warned against attempts to defame the sacred image of Dharmasthala.
The party has demanded that the SIT conclude its probe in a timely and transparent manner, free from political interference, and ensure that the religious and cultural significance of Dharmasthala is not undermined.