RTI revelations spark fresh allegations in Dharmasthala mass burial case
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Bengaluru: Shocking revelations from an RTI query have reignited public outrage over the Dharmasthala mass burial case in Karnataka, after it emerged that Belthangady police deleted all entries from the Unnatural Death Register between 2000 and 2015, reported India Today. The period coincides with several allegations of unreported and suspicious deaths.
RTI activist Jayanth, who filed a formal complaint with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 2 August, claimed to have personally witnessed the illegal burial of a young girl. He alleged that legal procedures were ignored and that several officials were present at the scene. The SIT is expected to register an FIR and may soon begin exhumation proceedings.
Jayanth, known for using RTI to scrutinize police conduct, said he had earlier sought records of missing persons and related photographs from Belthangady Police Station. In its reply, the police admitted that postmortem reports, wall posters, notices and photographs used to identify bodies had been destroyed under “routine administrative orders.”
“When the girl’s body was found, all legal procedures were violated. They buried the body like one would bury a dog. That sight has haunted me for years,” Jayanth said. He added that two years ago he had warned he would disclose the truth if honest officers took over the investigation.
Criticizing the destruction of key records, Jayanth questioned how, in a digital era, such sensitive data could be erased without first being digitized or backed up. “If skeletal remains are found, how will the government match them to anyone when they’ve destroyed the relevant documents? Who are the people behind this?” he asked.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of the Belthangady police, who admitted to destroying records of unidentified deaths during the period when a whistleblower had alleged mass burials of women and minors, many reportedly showing signs of sexual assault.
The new complaint has renewed calls for a thorough investigation, with demands for accountability and exhumation to uncover the extent of the alleged cover-up.
