Dharmasthala murders: SIT to produce complainant Chinnaiah in court today

The SIT will produce complainant Chinnaiah in court today in the Dharmasthala murders case. Judicial custody is likely as investigations intensify, with activists and YouTubers also facing questioning over the alleged burials.

Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) will produce the complainant, Chinnaiah, known as “mask man,” before the local court in Belthangady, Mangaluru district, on Saturday.

The court is most likely to send him to judicial custody. Earlier, even as the SIT sought 10 days’ custody, the court on September 3 had extended SIT custody till September 6.

---

On July 11, the complainant claimed that he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala, and recorded his statement.

He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear signs of sexual assault.

In addition, the whistleblower reportedly submitted a skull, allegedly recovered from one of the burial sites, to the SIT.

He was given protection under the Witness Protection Act, and facilities were extended. However, police sources said that the protection given to the complainant has now been revoked.

The authorities are awaiting the FSL and DNA analysis reports of the sand samples collected from the 17 excavated sites.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated that, due to the nature of the soil at the burial spots, human bones would dissolve, and this will be confirmed through the lab reports. He added that the major phase of the investigation will commence thereafter, based on the findings.

The SIT is also focusing on cracking the mystery surrounding the skull presented to the authorities through the court by Chinnaiah as the first piece of evidence to corroborate his charges.

Sources stated that Chinnaiah claimed he had obtained the skull with the help of activists. Activists and YouTubers are now being grilled by the SIT over the matter.

The SIT is questioning activists Girish Mattennavar, T Jayanth, and YouTuber Sameer, who raised their voices against temple authorities and made direct allegations targeting the Dharmadhikari.

In addition, the SIT is interrogating Sujatha Bhat, a complainant who initially claimed that her daughter, Ananya Bhat, an MBBS student, had gone missing under suspicious circumstances. She later retracted her statement, saying she had no daughter, before going on to claim that she was blackmailed into making the allegation.

The SIT is also preparing to question Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi and has issued notice to Kerala YouTuber Manaf to appear for questioning with electronic gadgets in connection with the case.

The case has taken a political turn, with leaders of the ruling Congress, BJP, and JD(S) organising rallies to Dharmasthala to express solidarity with the temple management and Dharmadhikari, BJP Rajya Sabha member Veerendra Heggade.

Karnataka Deputy CM and State Congress President DK Shivakumar has openly stated that there is a big conspiracy against the temple town Dharmasthala and that conspirers will not be spared.

Meanwhile, a delegation of religious seers met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submitted a memorandum demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The delegation claimed that Amit Shah told them he is observing the developments closely and will initiate action soon.