Dharmasthala temple chief calls mass burial claims baseless, welcomes SIT probe

Veerendra Heggade, religious head of the Dharmasthala temple, rejected allegations relating to the Sowjanya case and claims of multiple murders, rapes and burials across Dharmasthala over two decades, describing them as “baseless and false”. He welcomed the probe by a SIT set up by the Karnataka government to establish the truth.

The SIT, constituted to investigate the allegations, has conducted excavations at various sites to check for possible human remains. The allegations have gained fresh traction in the wake of protests seeking justice for Sowjanya (17), a second-year pre-university student at the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College, who was allegedly raped and murdered on October 9, 2012.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Heggade said, “These issues are baseless and false, and I was really hurt by these accusations. The way things are projected in social media is morally wrong.”

Responding to Home Minister G Parameshwara’s statement in the Assembly that the SIT would get to the bottom of the issue, Heggade said, “We welcomed the SIT the same day. It's good that the state has formed it and once and for all the truth should come out. It's not good that allegations are made and they remain that way.”

He appealed for the investigation to be expedited. “We want the investigations to conclude at the earliest and the issue be resolved. All our books and we in particular are open. The SIT has to thoroughly investigate and the guilty be punished,” he said.

Heggade alleged that Dharmasthala and its trust have been the target of an “organised campaign” for over 14 years. “Irked by the good work being done by us, some elements carry out false campaigns but we are unperturbed,” he remarked.

Referring to recent videos of a masked man claiming to have buried bodies in Dharmasthala, Heggade said, “This is impossible. There is a popular belief that if one dies in Dharmasthala, they will get salvation. Whenever there is a death, we used to inform the panchayat and they do due diligence and bury the body.”

Heggade voiced concern over the role of social media, saying it had “polluted young minds”. He said, “They want the youth to turn away from the faith. We are shocked and surprised the way things were depicted. Social media is a very powerful medium and many of our well-wishers say that we have not used social media to publicise our good work. The work carried out in society is our duty, it's a commitment and service. We have reached all the villages and touched 55 lakh families through various social works.”

Responding to renewed calls for justice in the Sowjanya case, Heggade said, “When we came to know that such a thing has happened we informed the government the same day. Allegations on our families are baseless. Our family members who they alleged were abroad for education and we have produced documents. These are vicious campaigns.”

He pointed out that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also probed the matter earlier. “Yes. We have cooperated and we welcomed all kinds of investigation,” he said.

Rejecting allegations of property misuse, Heggade said, “There is no such thing as our property. The family owns very little property and all the properties are owned by the trust with documents.” He added that the trust is run transparently by family members. “We are four brothers and one brother takes care of education in Bengaluru, the other brother takes care of the temple here along with social work and I have a sister whose husband is a vice chancellor of the SDM University in Dharwad. All educational institutions are in the name of trust,” he explained.

Asked about criticism of a Jain family managing a Hindu temple, Heggade dismissed the suggestion. “I don't think there is truth in this allegation. There are many temples which are run by Jains as all the rituals are followed,” he said.

He also denied that the controversy had taken a political turn. “No I don't think so. Congress leaders have also come here and so did the JDS leaders. Some people want to defame the temple and all parties have come in support of the temple,” he said.

Heggade welcomed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s statement about a conspiracy to defame Dharmasthala. On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assertion that wrongdoing would be investigated and the guilty punished, he said, “It is a natural statement and it is a good thing that he has said so. If temple authorities or anyone else have done anything wrong, they will be punished. It is an unbiased statement.”

Reiterating that faith in Dharmasthala remained unaffected, Heggade said, “We carry out the puja, rituals as usual and there is no change in the crowd or customs.” He also expressed satisfaction with the pace of inquiry. “The Home Minister has made a statement. I believe an interim report is given and soon the final report will be out,” he observed.

“The smear campaign will end as allegations are turning out to be false, and people have come forward now in large numbers in support of the temple,” Heggade said.

He added, “We know from our sources as to who are behind these conspiracies but we don't have proof, as such we can't make any comments, it's for the SIT to prove as they are investigating.”

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