Whistleblower in Dharmasthala mass burial case arrested; police say, ‘he presented fake skull’

in Dharmasthala mass burial case

A former sanitation worker employed with the Manjunatha temple in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala, who had alleged that he was forced to bury multiple bodies of rape and murder victims for nearly two decades, has been arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Until now, the complainant, who had hidden his identity by wearing a mask, has been identified for the first time as CN Chinnayya. According to News18, CN Chinnayya is being presented before a magistrate in Belthangady.

He was questioned by the SIT and its chief, Pranab Mohanty, on Friday. Officials were quoted by The Times of India as saying that the arrest was made after inconsistencies were found in his statements and documents provided. India Today, citing police sources, reported that the skull initially produced by the whistleblower was fake. He was later arrested on charges of perjury and furnishing false evidence.

The complainant had dug out the skull of a victim so that it could serve as evidence to strengthen his claims before the police, the report added. He will be produced before the magistrate on Saturday evening. After long hours of questioning, the complainant-witness was taken to a hospital for medical examination.

Out of the suspected 15 spots where he claimed that he had buried bodies between 1998 and 2014, only the skeletal remains of one male were found at spot number 6.

Earlier, when India Today TV asked the complainant why human remains had been found at only one spot, he said some burial sites may have been lost due to erosion, forest growth, and construction work. The man further claimed that locals had seen them burying bodies during the daytime, but no one stopped or questioned them.

Denying allegations that he was attempting to malign the temple’s name, the whistleblower told India Today TV: "What will I gain by tarnishing the temple’s name? I am a Hindu, from a Scheduled Caste."

The complainant alleged that some of the bodies he buried over a span of more than a decade bore signs of sexual assault. He has also given a statement before a magistrate in this regard.