SIT Begins Exhumation at Dharmasthala Mass Burial Sites; First Day Yields No Human Remains Amid High Security
In the mass burial case in Dharmasthala, the whistleblower locates 15 suspected burial and crematorium sites. The ANF has been set up at every location. The complainant was questioned by SIT for two days.

New Delhi (India) July 30: The first day of exhumation operations finished Tuesday without any recoveries for the Special Investigation Team (SIT). It is looking into claims of mass murders in Dharmasthala, Karnataka.
The team started excavating at one of the 15 sites designated. It is led by a 48-year-old sanitation worker. He had previously stated that he had buried several dead people more than ten years before.
No Remains Found on Day One
According to a SIT official, the initial site was dug up "using manual labor and later earth movers to the satisfaction of the informant and officials present". However, no human remains were discovered by 6 p.m.. Therefore, the operations were stopped.
The official said, “We have followed the standard procedure and ensured the digging was thorough. No recoveries were made at this spot today.”
SIT Ensures Thorough Inspection
The SIT marks each spot after the site visits and places armed security guards there to watch over them overnight. Assistant Commissioner Stella Verghese of Puttur was the one who gave her approval to start the exhumation.
Udupi forensic scientists and other officials, such as SIT second-in-command DIG MN Anucheth, Superintendent of Police (SP) Jithendra Kumar Dayama and crime scene specialists joined her for the search operation.
Forensic scientists are present throughout the entire process as part of the SIT's strategy. If any remains are found in the next few days, officials are anticipated to deploy technologies for crime scene analysis and DNA sampling.
15 Sites Identified by Whistleblower
The whistleblower in the Karnataka mass burial case of Dharmasthala has located 15 alleged sites for body burial and cremation. All of these locations have been visited by the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF).
The first eight sites are reportedly located along the Nethravathi River's banks. The locations 9 through 12 are close to the river, by the side of the highway. The 13th is on the road that connects Nethravathi to Aajukuri. The remaining two, 14 and 15 are in the Kanyadi area close to the highway.
This comes after two days of interrogation in Mangaluru by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The whistleblower is a former sanitation worker. He claims that between 1998 and 2014, he was forced to bury and cremate the dead of women and children in Dharmasthala. Many of the bodies had visible signs of assault.
Heavy Security in Dharmasthala
Dharmasthala is still heavily guarded. Armed police are stationed close to the bathing ghat and the surrounding forest. The locals have been watching the events with increasing anxiety as the investigation continues in one of the most important places of worship in Karnataka.
Officials insist that every place the complaint shows will be thoroughly examined. The SIT will continue its investigation at the other designated locations on Wednesday.
Aadrika Tayal