MANGALURU: The complainant in the Dharmasthala mass burial case produced before the court skeletal remains which he claimed he exhumed himself secretly at Dharmasthala village and the remains were seized by the Belthangady police.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr Arun K said the complainant appeared before the court in Belthangady to record his statement. “He also produced the skeletal remains which he claimed to have exhumed himself and they were seized in front of the advocates of the complainant and panch witnesses,” SP said.
The SP said witness protection for the complainant and his family was approved by the competent authority in the district. “But the press note and the FIR copy circulating in public platforms by those representing the complainant have already led to many locals to narrow down on the identity of the complainant-witness. Despite this, it was decided not to disclose his identity for all official purposes. A separate inquiry has been initiated.
The complainant, said to be a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple, had filed a complaint with the Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police and Dharmasthala police station, alleging that he was threatened and forced to bury bodies of persons who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village and surrounding areas. He has sought an investigation into the alleged murders of men and women. His complaint has details of alleged murders, rape and murders and the cover-up of these criminal activities in Dharmasthala.