IANS| The investigation into the alleged mass graves in Dharmasthala has taken a decisive turn, with Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) preparing to file a 4,000-page charge sheet naming activists and the key complainant as accused. The politically sensitive case, which drew national attention after sensational claims earlier this year, is now set for its first major judicial milestone.
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed on Thursday that the government had cleared the SIT’s request to file the charge sheet, which must be submitted within 90 days of the FIR. He said the details would be placed before the government once the report enters the court record and that the findings would be explained to the state legislature during the upcoming winter session.
The charge sheet, expected to be filed before the Belthangady JMFC court by SIT officer Jitendra Kumar Dayama, names six individuals, including the masked complainant known as Chinnayya, and several activists who had earlier demanded a judicial probe. SIT sources indicated that extensive interrogations in August led investigators to conclude that the complainant misled authorities when he alleged that multiple women and girls were raped, murdered and buried in secret locations.
The case escalated in July after the masked informant claimed he was forced to bury victims at more than a dozen sites in Dharmasthala. His statements triggered statewide controversy, prompting the Karnataka government to constitute the SIT under senior IPS leadership. Excavations across 17 identified locations were subsequently undertaken, resulting in the recovery of one male skeleton and other bone fragments. These remains were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.
Officials noted that the complainant had insisted on being present during exhumations and had handed over a skull allegedly retrieved from one burial site. These submissions, including photographs, videos and site maps, have been included as supplementary materials in the charge sheet.
The political and social fallout from the allegations was immediate. Several activists and a retired Supreme Court judge publicly demanded that the probe be placed under the supervision of the High Court or Supreme Court. The government convened a high-level review meeting on Wednesday, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister Parameshwara, state police chief, IGP M.A. Saleem, and SIT chief Pronab Mohanty, to assess the investigation’s progress.
Initial findings presented by the Home Minister in early August revealed that excavations had yielded a male skeleton at one of the identified spots and bone fragments at another newly marked area. However, no bodies were recovered at many of the locations flagged by the complainant. The SIT later arrested him on August 23 for allegedly providing false information and misleading investigators. He had been under police protection under the Witness Protection Act until his detention.
The forthcoming charge sheet details excavation reports, witness examinations, forensic submissions and the statements of persons in contact with the complainant. SIT officials stated that the contents aim to clarify the sequence of events that led to the mass grave allegations and the motivations behind the claims.
While the skeleton and bones remain under forensic examination, the SIT’s conclusion that the complainant fabricated key aspects of the story has shifted the trajectory of the case. Once the charge sheet is submitted, the state legislature is expected to debate the findings during the winter session, marking the next phase of legal and political scrutiny.
