Dharmasthala ‘mass burial’ case: Complainant Chinnayya a habitual liar, says ex-wife; suspects he created controversy for money

MANDYA: C N Chinnayya, a native of Chikkaballi village in Mandya district who had made the Dharmasthala mass burial claims, was arrested on Saturday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. Now, Chinnayya's divorced wife has come out in public, accusing him of being a habitual liar, who had probably fabricated the story about mass burials to make some money out of it.Rathnamma, who works as a civic worker at Nagamangala, said she was married to Chinnayya in 1999. The couple with two children - a daughter and a son - were divorced in 2006.She claimed Chinnayya, also known as 'Bheema', had assaulted her. Even during the divorce proceedings, he had lied in court, claiming he was unemployed, so that he could avoid paying alimony, Rathnamma added."I never got justice. It was my mother who raised me, and I was later supported by my children," she said.According to Rathnamma, neither did Chinnayya ever speak about any incident of rape or murder, nor did he mention anything about mass burials. She suspects Chinnayya may have tried to create a controversy, trying to make some money out of it.Chikkaballi Balu, Chinnayya's former schoolmate, said: "After the death of his father, his elder brother, who had settled in Dharmasthala, took him there in 1994.

Thereafter, he started working there as a sweeper."In 2014, Chinnayya returned to Chikkaballi with a woman, claiming to be his wife. Villagers said he had married thrice while residing in Dharmastala, but all his marriages fell apart.However, he was helpful in arranging 'darshan' at Dharmasthala temple for visitors from his native village.Another villager named Balu alleged Chinnayya was ready to do anything for money. "So, when we heard about his claims [of mass burials], we knew for sure those were baseless."