Locals Attack YouTubers Over Misleading Content on Dharmasthala
Clashes nearly erupt as digital media faces backlash over coverage of alleged secret burials case
Mangaluru: Tension gripped Dharmasthala on Wednesday evening after three YouTubers were allegedly attacked by a group of locals at Pangala, around 1 Km from the temple town. The incident also saw two groups nearly clashing before police intervened to defuse the situation.
Local residents and devotees also staged a protest in front of the Dharmasthala Police Station, expressing their opposition to what they called baseless allegations and attempts to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
The SIT formed by the state government is investigating the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala, drawing a large number of media personnel, including YouTubers, to the region to cover the ongoing search operation.
According to sources, the YouTubers were reportedly filming in the Pangala area in the evening, some distance away from the SIT operation site, when they were confronted by a group of local persons.
The locals are said to have expressed anger over what they termed as "misleading and exaggerated" content on social media regarding the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged human remains in and around Dharmasthala. The confrontation reportedly turned physical, and the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. It is alleged that their camera was also damaged.
Digital Media for Democracy, the forum of digital media in Karnataka, condemned the attack on YouTubers Ajay Anchan of Kudla Rampage, Abhishek of United Media, Vijay of Sanchari studio, and the camera person of Kudla rampage and demanded immediate action against the goons who attacked the three.
“We hope that the Govt of Karnataka will stand by the democratic right of media organisations and journalists, particularly digital media who have been in the forefront of exposing the alleged crimes around Dharmasthala,” a press statement stated.
Meanwhile, two groups—one supporting the YouTubers and another from Dharmasthala— had a heated argument and nearly clashed when the police intervened and brought the situation under control by chasing them away with force.
In the night, a protest was staged outside the Dharmasthala police station by local residents and devotees, who accused some content creators of spreading misinformation and portraying the temple in a negative light.
“We are not against the media, but a few YouTubers have been making baseless allegations and are tarnishing the image of Dharmasthala. They are also making unverified claims about the SIT investigation,” said one of the protestors.
In a separate incident, a television journalist was allegedly assaulted by two activists who have publicly supported the whistleblower and made allegations of past crimes in the region. According to the report in the TV channel where the journalist is employed, he had gone to the hospital to gather reactions from the injured when he was reportedly attacked by the two individuals.
As the situation grew tense, police forces were deployed in the area to prevent further escalation. Locals called for a fair and impartial investigation while urging authorities to take action against those spreading misinformation.
