SIT will be formed if police say: Siddaramaiah on Dharmasthala mass burials case

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the Karnataka government would consider forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala if recommended by the police. His statement comes amid growing demands for a credible and independent investigation into the case.

Addressing the media, Siddaramaiah said, “If police say to form SIT, then we will do it.” He also emphasised that the state government would act strictly in accordance with the law and not under any external influence. “There is no pressure on us. Even if someone tries to exert pressure, we will only follow the law,” he said.

The case has gained national attention after a man alleged that he was forced to dispose of multiple murder victims’ bodies during his time as a sanitation worker with the Dharmasthala temple administration between 1995 and 2014. The whistleblower, whose identity has been withheld due to threats to his life, claimed that some of the victims were women who appeared to have been sexually assaulted.

Siddaramaiah said, “This person has been absconding for 10 years. He has now given a statement under the Criminal Procedure Code Section 164. He says he buried bodies and is ready to show the locations. Let us see what the police say.”

Meanwhile, public pressure is building for a high-level probe. The Karnataka State Commission for Women has written to the Chief Minister demanding the formation of an SIT, while two senior advocates have also urged the government to initiate an impartial inquiry with high integrity.

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