Inspector accused of threatening key witness in Dharmasthala mass grave case; Advocate demands SIT officer’s removal

A senior SIT officer has been accused of coercing a protected witness in the Dharmasthala mass burial case, raising questions about the probe’s integrity. Advocate Ananya Gowda has filed a complaint, prompting an internal review and potential legal consequences.

Mangaluru: In a development that threatens to shake public trust in the ongoing Dharmasthala mass burial investigation, a senior police officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been accused of intimidating a key protected witness. The incident has triggered serious concerns about the neutrality of the probe, already under intense national and media scrutiny.

Advocate Ananya Gowda, who represents the complainant referred to as ‘X’ for security reasons has filed a formal complaint with the SIT, alleging that Inspector Manjunath Gowda of the Sirsi Rural police station threatened and coerced the witness late on the night of August 1 inside the SIT camp at Belthangady.

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According to the complaint, Inspector Gowda summoned ‘X’ into a closed room and threatened him with arrest and long-term imprisonment over the original complaint filed at the Dharmasthala police station. The officer allegedly pressured ‘X’ to withdraw his statement and falsely implicate unknown “outsiders” for influencing the complaint.

“Mr. Manjunath Gowda directed the complainant to make a video statement disowning the original complaint, and he recorded it on his personal mobile phone,” stated the complaint submitted by Advocate Ananya Gowda. She termed the incident “shocking” and said the intimidation has destroyed the witness’s ability to speak freely in the officer’s presence.

“We demand Inspector Manjunath Gowda be immediately removed from the investigation team. His presence threatens the integrity of this probe and undermines the witness’s safety,” the advocate wrote in her letter to SIT leadership.

A senior SIT official confirmed to Telangana Today that the matter is being taken “with utmost seriousness” and that an internal review is underway.

The Dharmasthala case has attracted widespread national attention following disturbing allegations of mass burials in forested areas surrounding the religious town. The SIT has so far discovered skeletal remains in at least five of six sites previously flagged by complainants, though no new remains were found at two sites excavated on Friday.

The coercion allegation has renewed calls for strong protection of whistleblower in the case. “This is no longer just about buried bones it’s about whether the state machinery is silencing those seeking the truth,” said a civil rights activist who wished to remain anonymous.

Sources in the Department of Home confirmed that the complaint, along with supporting details, was shared with top officials, and that Advocate Ananya Gowda’s letter has formally been acknowledged. If substantiated, the incident may necessitate criminal charges against the officer under the Witness Protection Act and relevant IPC provisions.

As the case unfolds, all eyes remain on DGP Pronab Mohanty, whose leadership is being counted on to restore confidence in a probe many believe may expose deeply entrenched institutional failures.