Karnataka Govt Forms SIT to Probe Dharmasthala Murders, Missing Women Cases

🚨 Karnataka Govt Forms SIT to Probe Alleged Murders & Sexual Assaults in Dharmasthala

In a move with seismic implications, the Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe chilling allegations involving mass murders, sexual assaults, and disappearances of women in the Dharmasthala region of Dakshina Kannada — some reportedly dating back to 1998.

🔍 SIT Details & Mandate

• Constituted: July 19, 2025
• Announced: July 20, 2025
• Head: Pranav Mohanty, DGP, Internal Security Division
• Key Members:
  • M N Anucheth – Addl. Commissioner of Police (Recruitment)
  • Soumya Latha – DCP (CAR Headquarters)
  • Jitendra Kumar Dayama – SP, Internal Security Division
• Jurisdiction: All cases related to the Dharmasthala region — both registered and pending — across Karnataka police stations.
• Base of Operation: Dakshina Kannada District Police Office
• Reporting: Regular updates to the DGP, final report to be submitted to the government “at the earliest.”

🧩 What Triggered the Probe?

• A former sanitation worker’s shocking testimony ignited public outrage:
  He claimed he had been forced to bury “hundreds of bodies”, including women and minors, between 1998 and 2014 — many allegedly showing signs of sexual violence.
• A human skull was reportedly discovered near Dharmasthala, deepening suspicions.
• The family of a medical student missing since 2003 was among those demanding accountability.

📣 Women’s Commission Pressure

The Karnataka State Women’s Commission, led by Chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary, formally urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to initiate a high-level probe. The Commission flagged:

• “Disturbing patterns” of unnatural deaths and female disappearances
• Eyewitness and media reports spanning more than two decades
• Lack of justice and systemic inaction

🛑 The Case So Far

The present case began with a complaint registered under Section 211(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Dharmasthala Police Station. However, the scope has now vastly expanded, encompassing multiple suspected murders, cover-ups, and institutional negligence.

🧭 What This Means

The SIT formation represents a long-overdue acknowledgment of what many in Karnataka — and especially in Dakshina Kannada — have whispered about for years: a dark history shrouded in silence in one of the state’s most prominent temple towns.

With growing public scrutiny, media focus, and mounting political pressure, the SIT’s work could expose systemic failures — or worse — buried under decades of reverence and reputational protection.

This is no longer just a case of missing women. It may become Karnataka’s most chilling investigation in modern history.