Bengaluru, Sep 1 (IANS) In a major development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the mass grave case is preparing to travel to Delhi as part of its enquiry. The arrested complainant Chinnaiah, known as the “masked man,” has revealed that he had carried a skull to Delhi and met certain individuals there.

The SIT, which has already raided the residences of activists supporting him, is now set to proceed to Delhi, sources said on Monday.

One of the activists, T. Jayanth, also stated that their group had traveled to Delhi in a car along with Chinnaiah and the skull. From there, they later went to Dharmasthala, where they lodged a complaint regarding the alleged mass murders.

Sources added that the SIT team is likely to conduct searches in Delhi and question those who met the complainant and guided him in the case.

The development has assumed significance as the BJP is strongly claiming that the Karnataka government formed the SIT under pressure from the Congress high command.

Meanwhile, SIT officers continue to interrogate the complainant and are likely to seek an extension of his police custody, which ends soon.

Chinnaiah, who had alleged that multiple murders, rapes, and burials took place in Dharmasthala over the past two decades, was arrested on August 23 by the SIT formed to investigate these charges.

Meanwhile, preparations have been completed for the ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ rally scheduled to begin later today.

The state BJP unit has maintained that it is not a political programme, and no BJP flags or slogans will be used.

BJP leaders, led by State President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leaders of the Opposition R. Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, along with MLAs and MPs, visited the Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple in the morning and offered special prayers.

Speaking to the media after the worship, Vijayendra said, “BJP is not doing politics through this event. If we had wanted to politicise the issue, we would have taken to the streets when the SIT was formed. We patiently waited until the investigation progressed and the truth came out. We wanted the forces behind the propaganda to be exposed.”

“The state government did not take legal action even as systematic propaganda was carried out against the sacred Dharmasthala shrine. When the situation reached a point where crores of devotees were losing patience, the BJP organized this event to condemn the government for turning a blind eye,” he added.

BJP senior leader and MLA S.R. Vishwanath said that for the past 15 days, rallies have been arriving in Dharmasthala from across the state. “We will take out a Shobha Yatra from the Manjunatha temple to the event venue. Our leaders will speak on the conspiracy and announce decisions,” he said.

“The SIT is investigating the alleged mass grave case effectively. However, we are demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to uncover the international conspiracy. Even PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi has expressed support for an NIA investigation. People across the state have turned against the Karnataka government over this issue,” he claimed.

–IANS

mka/rad