Dharmasthala 'Mass Burial' Case Takes U-Turn After SIT Says Whistleblower Lied Under Oath

Last Updated:August 23, 2025, 14:53 IST

The 50-year-old has been booked for perjury after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) concluded that the evidence he produced was falsified

Dharmasthala mass burial case | File Image

The Dharmasthala “mass burial" controversy took a dramatic turn with the arrest of CN Chinnayya alias Chenna, the sanitation worker who first came forward as a ‘masked whistleblower’ in the case.

The 50-year-old has been booked for perjury after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) concluded that the evidence he produced was falsified.

According to SIT officials, forensic tests revealed that the skull Chinnayya submitted in court — which he claimed belonged to a young woman — was in fact that of a male.

“He has falsified evidence and lied under oath," a senior SIT officer told News18.

Chinnayya had alleged that between 1995 and 2014, he was forced to bury the bodies of women, schoolgirls and other victims in Dharmasthala at the behest of “powerful individuals."

His testimony — including a complaint filed on July 2 and a court appearance on July 11 where he produced skeletal remains — triggered uproar in the Karnataka Assembly, widespread public outrage, and ultimately led to the formation of an SIT under DGP Pronab Mohanty on July 19.

Excavations were subsequently carried out at 17 sites he identified, using ground-penetrating radars and advanced imaging.

While partial remains and a suspected suicide victim were recovered at two sites, no mass graves were found. Forensic experts later confirmed that the skull provided by Chinnayya contradicted his claims.

Investigators also questioned several of his former colleagues, none of whom corroborated his account.

SIT sources said Chinnayya eventually confessed that he had acted under coercion, was handed a skull, and gave false statements.

His witness protection was revoked before his arrest late on August 22.

At one point, his allegations had prompted another woman to claim her daughter had gone missing in Dharmasthala, but she later withdrew her statement.

The SIT has also examined healthcare professionals, including forensic experts who conducted autopsies on over 70 decomposed bodies officially buried in Dharmasthala during the period. Officials maintain that despite extensive searches, there is no evidence to support claims of a mass burial.

Location :

Karnataka, India, India

First Published:

August 23, 2025, 14:53 IST

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