Dharmasthala: Activist Approaches SIT, Alleges Cover-up
The activist urged the SIT to register four separate FIRs under appropriate sections and to seize guest registers, staff duty rosters, and payment vouchers for investigation
Mangaluru: Activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi has petitioned the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala, seeking registration of FIRs in connection with certain “unidentified” deaths (UDRs) in local guest houses, which he claims may in fact be murder cases.
Thimarodi submitted the petition at the SIT office on Thursday night. Based on documents obtained through the Right to Information Act, the petition cites four suspicious deaths that occurred between 2006 and 2010 across three guest houses in Dharmasthala.
He alleged that even when bodies were identifiable, they were hastily declared “unclaimed” and buried by the Gram Panchayat, raising suspicion of foul play.
Among the cases mentioned: the death of a 50–55-year-old man on February 28, 2006; the discovery of an unidentified woman’s body on April 13, 2006; the death of a 30–35-year-old man on August 3, 2007; and the death of another unidentified man on September 28, 2010, which was officially attributed to “poison consumption.”
Thimarodi argued that instead of registering FIRs under IPC Sections 302 (murder) or 306 (abetment of suicide), the cases were merely recorded as Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs). He stressed that filing an FIR is mandatory if there is suspicion of murder or suicide.
Citing legal requirements for guest houses to maintain registers with guests’ ID proofs and details, he said it was “legally impossible” to declare paying guests as unidentified, raising suspicions of tampering or destruction of records.
The activist urged the SIT to register four separate FIRs under appropriate sections and to seize guest registers, staff duty rosters, and payment vouchers for investigation.
