Dharmasthala mass burial case: Excavation likey soon, heavy deployment at site

Excavation is expected to begin shortly at a suspected mass burial site in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala, identified by a former sanitation worker who has alleged that he was forced to bury and cremate multiple bodies over several years.

Materials required for the exhumation were brought to the Netravathi bathing ghat in a police vehicle. A large team comprising forensic experts, forest officers, revenue department officials, Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) personnel, police officers, gram panchayat members, and labourers has reached the location with digging equipment.

This comes after the whistleblower, who appeared at the Intelligence Bureau office in Mallikatte over the weekend with his lawyers and wearing a black mask, identified 15 suspected locations linked to mass burials and cremations.

According to sources, eight of the sites are along the banks of the Nethravathi River, while locations 9 to 12 are beside the highway near the river. The 13th site is on the road connecting Nethravathi to Aajukuri, and the remaining two are in the Kanyadi area near the highway.

The whistleblower has alleged that between 1998 and 2014, he was forced to dispose of bodies, many of women and minors who showed signs of assault.

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