MANGALURU: The complainant in the Dharmasthala mass burial case produced skeletal remains in court, claiming to have secretly exhumed them at Dharmasthala, the evidence has been seized by the Belthangady police.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of police Dr Arun K said that the complainant witness had appeared before the Court in Belthangady to record his statement on Friday.
The complainant witness produced the skeletal remains, which he claimed to have exhumed, and these were seized by the police in the presence of the complainant’s advocates and panch witnesses.
The SP further said that Witness Protection has been approved by the competent authority in the district yesterday evening, with immediate effect.
"But regarding Complainant Witness Identity Protection, the Press Note and the FIR copy circulated in public platforms (which had age; nature, duration, place of work etc.,) by those representing the complainant witness have already led to many locals narrowing down on the identity of the complainant witness. However despite this, it was decided to maintain the identity undisclosed for all official purposes. A separate enquiry is initiated in this regard by DSP, Bantwal," SP said.