Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case: Whistleblower Arrested for False Testimony, SIT Probe Deepens

New Delhi (India) August 23: In a new development in the mass burial case in Dharmasthala, the chief whistleblower is taken into custody on Saturday. This is for allegedly giving false information to the Karnataka police's Special Investigation Team (SIT). 

The former Dharmasthala temple administration sanitation worker allegedly buried 70–80 dead at several sites. 

Whistleblower Taken Into Custody After Fake Skull Claim

The complainant was taken into custody by the SIT on Saturday morning, August 23, 2025. He will appear before a Belthangady jurisdictional court. On Friday night, August 22, 2025, the whistleblower protection granted to the complainant was removed. This is a decision by the committee led by Principal District and Session Judge Dakshina Kannada.

At first, the complainant had found a victim's skull in order. This is in order to use it as proof to support his allegations in front of the police.

He will appear before the magistrate today. Before appearing in court, the complainant will be taken to a nearby hospital for a medical examination.

He tells the SIT that he had buried a lot of women and children between 1998 and 2014. But the skeletal remains of one male were discovered at place number six out of the 15.

SIT Questions Forensic Experts and Former Staff

Since Friday morning, August 23, 2025, the SIT team has been inquiring about the complainant. This investigation was conducted before interviewing other employees who had worked with the complaint from 1995 to 2014.

Healthcare professionals who had performed autopsies on some 70 decomposing remains during that time were questioned by the SIT. These include Mahabalesh Shetty, Head of the Department of Forensic Science at K.S. Hegde Medical College. The victims were buried in Dharmasthala's Banglagudde. 

The Kollegal complainant files the complaint on July 2. He is alleging that he had buried more than 100 bodies during that time. These include victims of sexual assault and murder, at the orders of "powerful people.”

Home Minister G. Parameshwara also confirms the arrest in an interview with reporters in Bengaluru. However, he declines to provide any further details. He states that the SIT is solely responsible for conducting the inquiry. This is in order to determine the truth about the claims and incidents.

The complainant will be under the SIT's custody for 10 days, until September 3, 2025. This is as per the orders of the Belthangady court.

Sujatha Bhat Says She Will Share Full Truth

Another development is Sujatha Bhat receiving security cover from SIT at her home in Bengaluru's Banashankari. In Dharmasthala, she reports that her daughter has vanished. She did, however, change her mind about her remark on Friday, August 22. She ultimately states that she will tell the SIT the whole truth.