SIT Declared As Police Station To Probe Dharmasthala Burial Case
The order states that an officer of the rank of Police Inspector or above, who is part of the SIT, has been designated as the Station House Officer (SHO) under Section 2(1)(r) of the BNSS
Mangaluru: In a significant development, the Karnataka government has formally notified the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala as a 'police station' under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Through a notification dated August 6, the government invoked Section 2(1)(u) of the BNSS to declare the SIT, constituted via Order No. HD 142 COD 2025 dated July 19, 2025, as a police station for the purpose of investigation.
The order states that an officer of the rank of Police Inspector or above, who is part of the SIT, has been designated as the Station House Officer (SHO) under Section 2(1)(r) of the BNSS.
The government has also authorised the SIT to exercise full powers of investigation as per the BNSS and to submit its final report to the jurisdictional court. The SIT, led by senior IPS officer Pronab Mohanthy, has been investigating the case based on a complaint filed by a former sanitation worker who alleged mass burials at multiple locations in Dharmasthala.
With the latest order of SIT being declared as a police station, the SIT will have all the powers of a police station, including registration of a case.
Until now, any complaints related to the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala had to be lodged at the Dharmasthala Police Station. After registration, these cases were routed to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after seeking permission from the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG-IGP).
So far, the whistleblower has identified 13 suspected burial spots, out of which excavation has been completed at 12. Human remains were reportedly found only at spot number 6 and below a tree near spot number 11. Following the finding of remains in two places, two Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs) were filed in Dharmasthala Police Station. Following this the DG-IGP of Karnataka had issued instructions to transfer these two UDRs to the SIT. In addition, the SIT has been directed to look into a separate complaint filed by an individual named Jayant, who has accused a police officer of illegally burying the body of a minor girl in a forest area over two decades ago, without registering a case or following due legal process.
Henceforth the SIT can register case directly
