Bengaluru, July 20 (IANS) In a major development, the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising four senior IPS officers to probe the alleged murders in Dharmasthala.

The formation of the SIT was demanded by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice V. Gopala Gowda and several activists.

The development is likely to stir controversy, as Dharmasthala is a prominent Hindu pilgrimage centre in Karnataka.

The Karnataka government issued the order on Sunday. Under Secretary S. Ambika issued the order under the directions of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

The SIT will be led by senior IPS officer Pronab Mohanty, DGP of the Internal Security Department, along with DIG (Recruitment) M.N. Anuchet, DCP (City Armed Reserve) Sowmyalatha, and Jitendra Kumar, Superintendent of Police in the Internal Security Department.

According to the order, “The State Women’s Commission, in its letter, highlighted the alleged burial of hundreds of dead bodies in the Dharmasthala region. A person has come forward and recorded a statement before the court. The Commission has also taken serious note of media reports about the discovery of a skull and the statement by the family of a missing medical student.”

The order further adds, “The statement by the unidentified individual refers to heinous crimes, including murder, rape, unnatural deaths, and disappearances involving many women and girl students over the past 20 years. In light of this, there has been a strong demand for an impartial investigation and the formation of an SIT led by senior police officers to probe cases of missing women and girl students, unnatural deaths, murders, and rapes.”

The government stated that the formation of the SIT is appropriate in response to the State Women’s Commission’s request and the case registered at the Dharmasthala Police Station under Section 211(a) of the BNS Act. The SIT will also investigate any related criminal cases that may be registered in other police stations across the state.

The DGP and IGP have been directed to provide the necessary staff for the SIT. The SIT is instructed to keep the DGP and IGP regularly updated on the progress of the investigation. A final report covering all cases related to the investigation must be submitted to the government through the DGP and IGP sooner, the order states.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had stated on Friday that his government will not yield to any pressure with regard to handling the alleged Dharmasthala murders case.

In a major development, on July 11, the unidentified complainant, who had claimed that he was forced to bury several bodies of women who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village, appeared before a court in Karnataka’s Mangaluru district last Friday and recorded his statement.

The man gave his statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) before Principal Civil Judge and First Class Judicial Magistrate Sandesh K.

He was accompanied by a group of lawyers and police personnel and entered the court with his face and upper body fully covered. The development had sparked a major controversy.

He requested that the police exhume the bodies in his presence. The complainant also sought protection for himself and his family.

According to his statement, he fled Dharmasthala 11 years ago.

He further alleged that the bodies of the women showed clear signs of sexual assault.

They were found without clothes or undergarments and bore injuries suggesting violent acts. The revelations have shocked the state.

Retired Supreme Court judge V. Gopala Gowda and activists demanded that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe the case, monitored by the Supreme Court or the High Court.

The National Students Union of India has also demanded an SIT probe into the incident. Nagesh Kariyappa, the National General Secretary, has written a letter to CM Siddaramaiah and made an urgent demand for an SIT probe into mass burial allegations in Dharmasthala based on the confession of a former sanitation worker.

–IANS

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