From rape and mass murder charges to arrest of the mask man: How the Dharmasthala case unfolded

Mangaluru, Aug 23 From charges of rape and murders of hundreds of women to the arrest of the "mask man", the mass grave case in which the management of the famous Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka's Mangaluru district faced direct allegations has taken many twists and turns.

The developments have been closely followed by both national and international media.

With the arrest of the mask man -- who had claimed that he was allegedly forced to bury hundreds of dead bodies, especially of women and girls showing clear signs of sexual assault -- the case has taken a major turn.

The mask man first approached the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Mangaluru district on July 3, carrying a skull allegedly excavated from the burial site.

He claimed that between 1998 and 2004, he had buried hundreds of bodies of women and girls at the behest of the temple authorities.

Following directions from the Mangaluru SP, he lodged a police complaint with the jurisdictional Dharmasthala police on July 4.

On the same day, he was produced before the Belthangady Principal Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, where his statement was recorded.

The complainant was granted protection under the Witness Protection Act.

A committee headed by the Principal District Judge, along with the Superintendent of Police and the Public Prosecutor, provided protection to the mask man and his family.

As the case gained traction, progressive thinkers and a section of YouTubers demanded that the state government form a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Initially, the Congress-led government said that an SIT was not required.

On June 14, Karnataka State Commission for Women Chairperson, Nagalakshmi Choudhary, wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging the constitution of an SIT to probe the allegations of mass burials at Dharmasthala.

Responding to mounting pressure, the Karnataka government announced the formation of an SIT on July 19 to probe the Dharmasthala case and appointed Director General of Police Pronab Mohanty -- an officer known for his upright image -- as the probe agency's chief, as demanded by progressive groups and activists who had taken a confrontational stance against the temple authorities.

On July 28, SIT sleuths took the mask man to the alleged burial sites and marked 17 spots.

Boundaries were cordoned off, and armed policemen were deployed to secure the areas.

Excavation of the marked burial sites began on July 29.

On August 11, the SIT received a complaint seeking a probe into the unnatural death of Padmalatha, reported in 1986 in Dharmasthala.

On August 12, as the SIT excavated site number 13 -- where the mask man had claimed to have buried hundreds of bodies -- no substantial evidence was found.

On the same day, the Bharatiya Janata Party raised the issue in the Karnataka Assembly, demanding answers from Home Minister G. Parameshwara.

On August 14, the Karnataka BJP alleged that the Congress-led government was working with divisive forces to defame Dharmasthala.

Home Minister Parameshwara announced that excavations would soon conclude.

In a surprising development, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also said that there was a massive conspiracy to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage centre.

Amid mounting pressure, on August 15, the Karnataka government said that the SIT would decide whether to halt excavations and warned that action would be taken against those who had lied.

On August 16, the BJP launched the "Dharm Yatra" campaign across the state, condemning the developments around the mass grave case.

On August 17, a BJP delegation visited Dharmasthala and demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister.

On August 18, Home Minister Parameshwara announced that the SIT investigation would be halted until the results of chemical and DNA analyses of sand samples from the burial sites were available.

He also claimed that human bones could have dissolved due to the acidic nature of the soil at the alleged burial spots.

On the same day, family members of Narayana and his sister Yamuna, residents of Dharmasthala who were killed in 2012, filed a complaint with the SIT demanding a probe and alleging the involvement of the temple authorities.

On August 19, the BJP mounted a fresh attack in the Assembly, alleging that the Dharmasthala SIT was a Congress conspiracy "scripted by ultra-leftists and executed by CM Siddaramaiah".

On the same day, Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala temple and BJP Rajya Sabha member, reacted by calling the allegations a conspiracy aimed at diverting youth from their faith and asserted that the damage had already been done.

On August 19, BJP MP Kota Srinivas Poojary wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding an Enforcement Directorate probe into foreign funding allegedly used by certain individuals and YouTubers to spread propaganda.

On August 21, the Karnataka BJP announced the "Dharm Yuddh" campaign to "protect faith".

On August 22, the SIT began investigating the mask man.

After 19 hours of questioning, he confessed to misleading the SIT and admitted to acting at the behest of certain individuals.

He was subsequently produced before the court and remanded to 10-day custody.

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