"Will Go By Law," CM On Mass Burials At Dharmasthala
Karnataka Govt Awaits Police Report on Dharmasthala Mass Burial Claims, SIT Probe Under Consideration
BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said a report was expected from the police department on the alleged mass burials at Dharmasthala, a religious destination in Dakshina Kannada, in a day or two, based on which the government would decide whether or not to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the matter.
“The state government will act as per law,” the Chief Minister told reporters in Mysuru. He denied that the government was under pressure on the matter, and asserted that it would not succumb to any sort of pressure.
Siddaramaiah told reporters that an ex-sanitation worker attached to the Dharmasthala temple had that he was forced by the temple officials to bury and burn bodies of several women from 1995 to 2014. The person was absconding for about 10 years before he came before the police to give his statement.
The police had recorded the statement of the sanitation worker who, the Chief Minster said, had furnished to the police all details of mass burials at Dharmasthala. The worker had offered to show the sites to the police.
A delegation led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice V. Gopala Gowda had met the Chief Minister a couple of days back in Bengaluru and demanded a probe the allegations of mass burials at Dharmasthala by a Special Investigation Team. The delegation included social activists and lawyers.
The delegation expressed doubted fairness in investigation by the jurisdictional police and Justice Gowda requested SIT to investigate mass burials under a highest ranking police officer and the SIT investigation should be monitored by a Supreme Court judge or by a Karnataka High Court judge. The Chief Minister assured the delegation to look into their demand for SIT investigation.
