Dharmasthala Whistleblower Completes In-Camera Statement
Sources indicate that Chinnaiah has admitted his earlier allegations of secret burials in Dharmasthala were untrue and made under the influence of others.
Mangaluru: The spotlight has once again turned to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala, after whistleblower Chinnaiah completed recording his fresh voluntary statement in-camera before a magistrate in Belthangady on Saturday.
Chinnaiah, 45, a former sanitation worker who had alleged about secret burials in Dharmasthala and now arrested for perjury lodged in Shivamogga prison under judicial custody, recorded his fresh voluntary statement in-camera in three sittings—September 23, 25, and 27—before the Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Belthangady, under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita. This comes after he requested permission to record a fresh statement admitting that his initial complaint and statement were false.
Sources indicate that Chinnaiah has admitted his earlier allegations of secret burials in Dharmasthala were untrue and made under the influence of others. Chinnaiah’s latest statement was recorded in-camera, in the presence of only the magistrate. Thus no detail is available about the statement. It is still unclear whether he has named anyone in the court.
If Chinnaiah has named anybody in the statement the SIT’s next steps—such as filing fresh cases or making arrests—will reveal it. It also remains to be seen whether he has referred to his move of approaching the Supreme Court before coming to the state, and its dismissal of the case, and also if he names those who provided the skull to him. It will also be significant to see whether he explains why he filed the complaint about secret burials in Dharmasthala.
The case has seen several twists. Back in July, Chinnaiah had alleged that during his stint as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, he was forced to dispose of bodies of murder and sexual assault victims. He filed a case on July 3. He even produced skeletal remains before a magistrate on July 11, claiming they belonged to a woman. Forensic tests, however, later established that the remains were male, leading to his arrest on charges of perjury.
The SIT, constituted by the state government in the wake of his explosive allegations, carried out excavations at 17 sites in and around Dharmasthala. Human remains were found only at two locations—Spot No. 6 and on the ground, beneath a tree near Spot No. 11.
It was also reported that a relative of a 2012 rape victim was involved in handing over the skull to Chinnaiah which the latter had produced in court claiming to have dug himself.
