Dharmasthala mass graves case: SIT completes 6th day of excavation; multiple bones and a skull found, say sources

Mangaluru, Aug 4 The Special Investigation Team (SIT), on Monday, completed the sixth day of excavation at the marked burial sites in a Hindu pilgrimage centre in Mangaluru district of Karnataka, sources said.

Sources said that multiple bones and a skull were recovered at the site.

According to sources, shortly after the commencement of digging at marked burial site number 11, the unidentified complainant-cum-whistleblower led authorities to a different nearby location.

Excavation at this new site reportedly led to the discovery of several bones and a skull.

Staff members carrying boxes, buckets, and pipes out of the forest by the end of the day indicated that the SIT had found human remains.

The authorities' decision to work for hours without taking a lunch break further suggested significant findings.

Additionally, workers were seen carrying a sack of salt uphill into the forest, reinforcing the belief that multiple bones had been discovered.

However, no official statement has been issued yet in connection with the findings.

Authorities are hopeful of completing excavation at all 13 marked burial sites.

It remains unconfirmed whether the work at burial site number 11 has been concluded.

This development could mark a major turning point in the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, T. Jayanth, a social activist and resident of Ichilampadi village in Mangaluru district, lodged a complaint with the SIT on Monday, alleging that a police officer had buried the body of a minor girl without following legal procedures.

In his complaint, Jayanth said, "During 2002 or 2003, the police received information about the murder of a girl aged between 13 and 15, whose body had been dumped in a forest area near the roadside along state highway number 37. The police officer visited the spot after a week, took a photograph, and buried the body in a trench about one to two feet deep. No legal procedures were followed, and no case was registered."

He also added, "I was an eyewitness to the incident. Out of fear and shock, I did not inform anyone at the time. I now have faith in the SIT and am lodging this complaint. There are others who also witnessed the incident, and I am willing to produce them if necessary."

After receiving the complaint, the SIT directed Jayanth to file a formal complaint at the jurisdictional police station, and said that further action would be taken as per the directions of the Director General and Inspector General of Police, M.A. Saleem.

Earlier, SIT Chief Pronab Mohanty had said that no significant material had been recovered from the previously excavated sites.

However, reports later surfaced indicating that a red, torn blouse and a PAN card belonging to a woman named Lakshmi were recovered from the first burial site.

In addition, the whistleblower reportedly submitted a skull -- allegedly recovered from one of the burial sites -- to the SIT.

In a major development on July 11, the unidentified complainant, who claimed he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village, appeared before a court in Mangaluru district and recorded his statement.

He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear signs of sexual assault.

According to him, the bodies were found without clothing or undergarments and had injuries consistent with violent sexual abuse.

These revelations have sent shockwaves across Karnataka.

Following the claims, a retired Supreme Court judge and several activists have demanded a Supreme Court- or High Court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murders, which may involve the deaths of multiple women, girls and destitute men.

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